By Tony O’Riley And Shaun Murphy-
Former world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, may need to be diagnosed with bipolar, a thinktank believes.
A team of professionals comprising the thinktank of this publication including a number of writers arrived at the conclusion after discussing Fury for over three hours today and yesterday, Monday. The team had spent hours in discussing a variety of topics in which ideas and analysis were swapped and carefully considered. Fury was for the first time in a while among the topics properly discussed because of the position he holds that is supposed to make him a role model in society.
Fury fights Tom Schwatz on June 15 in America, the first of a four fight deal expected to head towards him regaining the heavyweight championship of the world.
The team are also evaluating how Fury’s words can contribute to manipulating people’s minds into believing he means what he says when he obviously doesn’t, ultimately creating both true and false impressions in people’s minds, which on some occasions can work for or against him.
After dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, Fury’s image and position in the British society changed instantly. Britain had a new world heavyweight champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis left the boxing scene in 2004. Reckless words Fury would later say about women and gays presented him as a dark horse and a rebellious figure.
Fury was meant to be a changed man after overcoming mental health problems, but he seems to be back to some of the old ways of reckless talking and contradictory statements. The unconventional fighter is back to using foul language against Anthony Joshua and contradicting himself about Dillian Whyte and Deontey Wilder.
The 6ft 9 gypsy man arose for discussion after Dillian Whyte suggested on Sky Sports on Friday that the unbeaten Fury had contradicted himself in relation to whether Whyte should have been giving his shot as WBC Deontey Wilder’s title by now. Quotations by the brash one and only Tyson Fury saying that the WBC had been unfair to Whyte in denying him a crack at the WBC title, and that there request for an elimination contest between them was not practical has since been changed.
The unbeaten gypsy man said he agreed with Whyte’s position about the WBC appearing to protect Wilder from the British world contender whose only defeat comes against Anthony Joshua in a seventh round knock out in 2014. Fury said there was no reason for him to fight an elimination for the WBC title because he has an automatic right to fight for the title given his rematch agreement to meet the champion . That arrangement was botched after promoter Bob Arum made him a rich offer he could not refuse.
Fury who said ”I fight who I want when I want, how I want”, later said he would fight Whyte as an eliminator for the WBC Diamond belt, which means nothing in the scheme of things. The mention of fringe belts mentioned in boxing is nothing more than either commercially based or egoistic. They carry little weight in the scheme of championship status.
Whyte told Sky Sports last Saturday: ”I think Fury has bipolar.
“He says one thing today then he says something else tomorrow,” Whyte told Sky Sports. “He went from saying ‘I’m not fighting Dillian, the WBC should give him his chance, he’s done everything he needs to do.’ The next he says ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him and knock him out in six rounds’.
CONTRADICTIONS
He’s always contradicting whatever he says. He says ‘I’m the lineal heavyweight champ, I don’t not need no belt, no sanctioning body, I’ll fight any man, anywhere’, then now he’s saying ‘Give me the WBC ‘Diamond’ belt and I’ll fight Dillian.’ He makes no sense.
“He needs something about him on his feed every day, so he just says some random stuff to get a bit of traction.” Whyte like Wilder, is a disciplined and tough boxer who like Wilder is prepared to fight any heavyweight in the world. His willingness does not change the fact that boxing fans do not want to see Fury face Whyte because most believe Fury will win, even if just on points. Fans are more interested in seeing either one of Joshua, Fury, or Whyte face Wilder, in that order
Warrior Dillian Whyte says bipolar Fury talks nonesense
CREDIT
Fury credited Wilder after his one round blow out of Dominic Breazeale on Saturday, describing him as the most dangerous puncher in the division. He urged Joshua to step up to the plate and fight the American, saying that Wilder wants the fight and ”has proved to me that he is a fighting man”.
However, as Fury landed in America, Fury has been referring to Wilder as a bum and a dosser. Fury who changed gears on plans for a rematch to meet Wilder around April May this year, did a U turn when he was offered over £80m for a four fight deal with ESPN under Bob Arum’s promotional banner, in conjunction with British promoter, Frank Warren.
That hasn’t stopped Fury from suggesting that Wilder is running away from him. The contradictory positions and statements made by Fury makes it likely he has bipolar.
MOODS
Individuals with Bipolar disorder, also a form of manic depression, is a mental illness that brings severe high and low moods and changes in sleep, energy, thinking, and behaviour. People who have bipolar disorder can have periods in which they feel overly happy and energised and other periods of feeling very sad, hopeless, and sluggish.
Fury has many times in the past displayed this two extreme moods, once admitting to the press that he was ”messed up”. Fury has been widely credited for returning to the sports after suffering from mental health illness and having a shot at the WBC crown where he did well in attaining a draw. Any existing issues of mental health in Fury needs to be continuously addressed.
If Fury has bipolar, it is important for boxing fans to know, so the public are clear how much of his words to take seriously.
CLOWN
It can also have a positive benefit for Fury himself because if he is conscious of the public’s awareness of his bipolar, he may think harder before he speaks to prevent contradictions that could present him as a clown.
Fury is likeable in many ways, but cannot be allowed to fool the public with words that are obviously designed to sell him as a brand if those words contradict themselves and undermines his level of sincerity.
MANIPULATION
The team are also evaluating how Fury’s words can contribute to manipulating people’s minds into believing he means what he says when he obviously doesn’t, ultimately creating both true and false impressions in people’s minds, which on some occasions can work for or against him.
Fury is due to fight Tom Swartz on June 15 in the U.S. Fury gloats about being the lineal champion. But we say that means NOTHING until he regains the heavyweight championship title he once had, but is now shared by Anthony Joshua and Deontey Wilder.