Tyson Fury's father John has seen an awful lot of fighters in his time, and by that I mean A LOT. 

The father of five, 57, comes from a strong boxing heritage which has been kept alive by his oldest son Tyson, 33, and youngest son Tommy Fury, 22.

But even he can't help but be amazed by what Tom Aspinall has accomplished in such a short period of time.

Born in Wigan, but fighting out of Liverpool, Aspinall grew up on the streets of Greater Manchester, not too far away from where Fury calls home in Morecambe.  

Having amassed a 7-2 record in MMA, it wasn't long before the UFC came calling, and he eventually joined the promotion in March 2020. 

The 28-year-old has won all four of his UFC fights, securing three TKOs along the way. 

John, 57, watched from ringside as a younger Aspinall, then only 22, sparred with Tyson before his fight with Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 - and he has kept a watchful eye on him ever since.  

"I'm telling you now, Tom Aspinall will do big things in the UFC, but he'll also have a crossover bout and he'll probably be the first MMA fighter to do mega things in boxing as well," Fury Sr exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.

Tom Aspinall is backed by John Fury to crossover into boxing

"Because he can actually box well, punches hard, and moves really well for a heavyweight.

"He's a big guy, six foot four or five, eighteen stone.

"But he's got bottle and guts to burn, and he's a big strong lad. 

"He's willing to learn and improve his game.

"He's a good listener Tom Aspinall, I like him, I like his attitude, he's a warrior like Tyson."

Aspinall has been described as 'championship material' by UFC legend Michael Bisping, who thinks his style can cause all sorts of problems for the rest of his rivals in the heavyweight division. 

Tom Aspinall finished off his UFC debut in the first round

Fury Sr, a well-respected figure in the world of boxing in his own right, also believes Aspinall has the necessary attributes to excel in both combat sports.  

The 57-year-old former bareknuckle boxer added: "He doesn't let nothing overcome him. He doesn't let nothing get in his way.

"Look at the mark he's already making, he's in the top 10 now in the UFC, he's only young still.

"And I think when he's done there, he can be the first crossover to come from the MMA world to conventional boxing and win titles, and I said that first.

"Keep doing your thing Tom Aspinall, you're great mate, I like you a lot."

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