‘It’s a 50/50 fight’

SEVEN years ago, Peter Fury was accompanying Tyson Fury, his nephew, at a number of contractually-obligated media events ahead of a heavyweight championship fight against the great Wladimir Klitschko in Düsseldorf, believing but not assuming they were about to shock the world.

Last week, however, Peter Fury happened to be travelling to London to accompany Savannah Marshall, a female boxer to whom he is not related, at a press conference to announce a huge middleweight unification fight between Marshall and Claressa Shields on September 10 at the O2 Arena.

While, given what came before, it would a stretch to call this the biggest fight of Peter Fury’s boxing life, it certainly means as much to him as any other – whether that’s Tyson conquering Klitschko or Hughie, Peter’s son, trying to win en route to the press conference. “It’s the unified championship of the world. They’re two great athletes and it’s everything else about it, too – the fact it’s women’s boxing. It’s a completely new experience for me, this. I’m looking forward to it.”