John Fury fears that his son Tyson could kill Deontay Wilder in the ring if the pair were to fight for a fourth time later this year.
The Brit is currently locked in talks with Oleksandr Usyk over a potential meeting on April 29, but it has been reported that if that bout falls through, Fury could bring Wilder to Wembley Stadium for an unprecedented fourth meeting. While tetralogies have happened in boxing before, it's very rare for such a one-sided rivalry that ended in two wins and a draw to warrant a fourth.
And Fury's father agrees, arguing that the bout would be even more one-sided a fourth time. His son arguably won their first fight which was controversially scored a draw before stopping Wilder in the rematch and viciously knocking him out in a trilogy bout that the American forced through.
And speaking with Mirror Fighting in an exclusive chat as a Freebets.com ambassador, 'Big John' said: "I'm worried about him fighting Wilder because I'm afraid of him killing Wilder. Wilder's got a cracked skull, his skull is cracked like an egg. That kind of thing can't be repaired so if Tyson hits him again he could kill him.
"So I've said 'unless you want a funeral on your hands and the death of Deontay Wilder keep from him'. He's beat him three times, massacred him each time. He beat him [in the controversial draw] when he'd just lost eight-stone and been out of the ring for three years.
"He poses no threat, the only danger he poses is Tyson killing him. That danger and smoke, we don't want, let him go faff about with these blokes he can hit once and they'll lay on the floor and carry on, he's no good to Tyson. I don't want to go to my grave knowing that my son's killed somebody."
John and Tyson come from a lineage of great fighters in the travelling community. But their respect for boxing as a sport means that they would never wish for a death in the ring, with Tyson frequently repeating that he wants his opponents to arrive home after their fights safe to their families.
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"He will kill Deontay Wilder, that's the start and the end of it," Fury continued. "I don't even think Wilder should be boxing any more. Look at [the third fight], every time Tyson caught him up the side of the head it was all over, he's a pressure cooker ready to explode, him.
"He'll get hit the wrong way and he won't come to, Wilder. If I was Deontay Wilder I would seriously consider retiring with my health in tact. He's made millions of dollars, why risk it? The Gypsy King will kill him stone dead, and I don't want that. I want the best man to win, go home healthy to their family and do what's right.
"It's a sport at the end of the day. Even though I love it, we train to knock people out but knocking out and permanent injuries? That's another matter. I wish that on no athlete on no athlete. I've got kids and grandkids, I love them all and what I wouldn't like to happen to mine I definitely wouldn't want to happen to other people."
