Observing the actions and utterings of Tyson Fury this week has served as a reminder of just how complex the human mind is and how, for some, it can become too much to handle. There was the retirement that never was on Monday and then 24 hours later the publication of an interview with Rolling Stone in which Fury claimed he had taken “lots of” cocaine in order to deal with a bipolar disorder. If that was not disturbing enough, the 28-year-old openly spoke about being at “the brink of death”. “I don’t see a way out,” he added. “I don’t want to live any more.”
Fury has become a figure of ridicule for some and loathing for others but, with his life and livelihood on the line – the British Boxing Board of Control confirmed on Wednesday it will discuss withdrawing his licence on 12 October in light of the Rolling Stone interview – a more sympathetic consensus is beginning to form round the man who 11 months ago shook the boxing world with victory over Wladimir Klitschko in Düsseldorf. A troubling figure for so long, it is increasingly clear he is troubled himself.
Few have more sympathy for Fury than David Allen, a fellow British heavyweight who stepped away from the sport in August so he could deal with his depression. Allen sees some of the reactions to Fury’s behaviour, this week and previously, as part of a lack of awareness in regards to mental health and, having got to know Fury, believes he has become a deeply misunderstood figure.
“When it comes to mental health we’re years behind where we should be,” Allen says. “People in this country either don’t know enough about it or don’t take it seriously enough and you can see that in the way the media in particular have questioned if Tyson has even got mental health issues. It’s just not the type of thing a person would make up.
“Tyson shares some of the behavioural patterns that depression has caused in me – being happy one second and down in the dumps the next – but, whereas I can deal with my problems in private, Tyson is the world heavyweight champion so can’t escape the spotlight.
“I trained at the Fury gym in Bolton in the buildup to my fight against Larry Olubamiwo in June 2014 and have been back a few times since. Whenever I’ve seen Tyson there he’s been great to me. He’s a really nice man, someone who’s got time for everyone and who never says no to a fan who wants a photo or autograph. I can’t say a bad word about him or the Fury family in general. They’re lovely people.”
Allen had fought 11 times as a professional, winning nine times. He took Dillian Whyte the distance in his most recent contest in July and the plan was to kick on. But the 24-year-old, nicknamed “White Rhino”, has instead been inactive for the past three months following a relapse into his long-standing mental health problem.
“I’ve struggled with depression since I was 14-15 years old but for a long time, swept it under the carpet,” he says. “But it got to a stage where I felt I had to get on top of it. I started seeing a counsellor in June 2015 and since then have been managing my problems. I’m in a good place at the moment but I’m aware a bad day, a bad week, is never far away. And when that moment comes I’ll go see a counsellor again and talk things through – I feel comfortable doing that now.”
Allen, who also admits to having had issues with gambling, plans to return to the ring in November. “I can’t face the gym right now but boxing is what I do and financially I’m not in a position where I can’t fight. So I’ll be back,” he says. “That’s not necessarily the case with Tyson but I hope to see him in the ring again. For now, though, he needs to take some time off. While he does, I hope his critics leave him alone.”
As far as Paul Farmer, the chief executive of the mental health charity, Mind, is concerned, Fury’s priority should be seeking as much help and support as possible. “We’ve had no contact with him but he’s clearly going through a tough time,” he says. “It’s important he’s been open about his mental health issues and not put them to one side. That’s maybe helping people understand some of the behaviour he’s exhibited recently.
“When people are in the public eye and speak about mental health it also helps others seek support – Mind consistently see a rise in people seeking help; it gives people permission to talk about it and help remove the stigma. That was certainly the case when Frank Bruno and Ricky Hatton spoke about their own problems. And the more we discuss mental health, the healthier society in general will become.”
