Tyson Fury has never been shy to give his opinion.
The Gypsy King will happily give an honest appraisal of himself and his contemporaries on the heavyweight scene.
The Brit frequently praises Deontay Wilder, for example, possibly because he is the only man who has prevented him from winning, the two men drawing their first bout, before the Gypsy King went on to defeat the American in two rematches.
Fury also shows knowledge of the sport’s history, often talking about great champions of the past. When asked in an interview to name his five greatest heavyweights of all time, his answers and his reasons, were interesting.
Tyson Fury's five greatest boxing heavyweights
Fury made it clear that he was not including himself in the list, when talking about current boxers he always confidently states that he is number one, though, due to the shock exclusion of Mike Tyson, who the Gypsy King said would defeat him inside a round, it is clear that he feels he does not merit inclusion. The WBC champion also states that his top five are listed in no particular order.
Muhammed Ali’s inclusion comes as no surprise. Known as The Greatest, Ali was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight title on three occasions. His fights against Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier massively raised the profile of the sport and he is frequently named as the best heavyweight of all time. His philanthropy, humanitarianism and political activism make him one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
Larry Holmes makes the list, with the Eastern Assassin having held the WBC title from 1978 to 1983, and the inaugural IBF title from 1983 to 1985. Holmes' left jab is often rated among the best in heavyweight boxing history. Holmes won his first 48 professional fights and includes Ali, Tim Witherspoon and Carl Williams among those he has beaten.
Lennox Lewis, the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed title and a former Olympic champion makes the cut. When talking about all-time greats, Lewis possibly does not receive the credit he deserves, however, he is acknowledged by Fury on this list.
Video: Tyson Fury lists off his top 5
Fury includes Joe Louis, who competed from 1934 to 1951. The Brown Bomber reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until his temporary retirement in 1949, with 25 consecutive title defences, a record for all weight classes. Like Ali, his cultural impact reached much further than the world of boxing, many believing that he was the first person of African-American descent to be classed as a national hero in the United States.
Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champion to end his career undefeated, is acknowledged by Fury. Marciano was a fierce competitor, and could withstand huge amounts of punishment, proving himself to have one of the most durable chins in boxing history.
Fury acknowledges the difficulties in comparing eras, however, Marciano, for example, was a lot lighter than current heavyweights, and the Gypsy King suggests that he would have been a light-heavyweight champion today.
He goes on to explain that everyone is getting bigger and faster as the years go by, saying: “I’m 6 feet, 9 inches tall and very athletic, Wilder’s 6 foot 7, Joshua 6-foot 6... with time evolving everyone gets bigger and stronger and faster."
Tyson Fury's five greatest boxing heavyweights of all time - no Mike Tyson
He then goes on to acknowledge the importance of advanced training methods, sports science, psychology and nutrition.
“Nutritionist, psychologists, back in the day, 30, 50, 100 years ago they never had this stuff.”
When does Tyson Fury next fight?
Fury makes his much-anticipated return to the ring against Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, December 3, in an all-British WBC world heavyweight title clash.
The fight was scheduled after a much publicised “Battle of Britain” matchup with Antony Joshua could not be agreed.
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