Concerns to mental health of Tyson Fury if he losses the rematch to Uysk

Tyson Fury is set to return to the boxing ring to square off against Oleksandr Usyk in a highly anticipated rematch. Ahead of the rematch, Fury seems to carry a different aura which is certainly sparking some concerns.

In their first matchup earlier this year, it was Usyk who prevailed on top via a split decision. Since then, Fury has been quite vocal about his intention to avenge his loss.

Interestingly, his way of talking has made many feel concerned about his mental health if he were to lose the rematch. That said, let’s take a deeper look into his mental health struggles.

Tyson Fury’s mental health issues

Tyson Fury has found his path as a mental health advocate. He uses his platform as a boxing superstar to spread awareness about mental health, to smash the stigma, and to encourage those suffering to seek help.

The truth is, people all around us are struggling with mental health disorders—but they are not always apparent. Unlike physical disability or illness, mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder do not have obvious outward symptoms to be recognised.

For this reason, Tyson Fury – who has struggled with depression and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder – describes mental illness as a “silent killer.” He explained, “I could be on the verge of suicide and you couldn’t tell, because you can’t see inside someone’s mind.” And Fury has been on the verge of suicide before, while also on the verge of greatness.

In late 2015, Fury won his first world title against Wladimir Klitschko – a title he worked his whole life to achieve. Following that fight, he fell into the darkest place of his life. For 18 whole months, he had no desire to live. He found no meaning in his achievements. He did not want to wake up anymore, despite having fortune, fame, a wife and three children. In 2016, he was seconds away from crashing his car into a bridge at 190mph, before thinking about his family and pulling over before it was too late.

In his state of depression, Fury did not know how to cope. Time and time again, he tried to push his negative thoughts and feelings away. He tried to carry on with his career, with his family, and to keep his head up. After some time though, this could not keep up. He could no longer bottle things up.

So, he turned to the bottle to alleviate the pain. He started drinking heavily. Now, Tyson was not a drinker before. He had maybe 1-2 drinks a year, and never touched a drug in his life. During this 18-month period of darkness, however, that all changed.

Tyson Fury’s mental health recovery

Tyson Fury’s recovery was rooted in prayer, love, and motivation. He started setting goals for himself, one of them being to not only make the comeback Wilder said he wouldn’t, but also fight Wilder who was also undefeated at the time. He re-established an exercise routine, starting with small runs every day. He started working with a new trainer, was provided a clean bill of health, and was re-granted his license to box. He explains that the key assets to his recovery were (and continue to be):

Exercise, which releases endorphins and which also gave him purpose
Maintaining good nutrition, to feel better physically
Establishing goals, and making plans to meet them
Sticking to an everyday routine, designed to support his goals
Prayer, which he says is like his own form of meditation

Conclusion

That said, we do not know how Fury is going to reach if he was to lose his fight against Usyk. While his legacy inside the boxing ring cannot be questioned, fans would certainly hope to see him stay sane and the result not take a toll on his mental health.