Answer: Yes
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
World heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Luke Fury is an English professional boxer and has held the WBC Heavyweight championship title since 2020 after defeating Deontay Wilder. Fury who is nicknamed “The Gypsy King” and is married to Paris was born in August 1988 in Manchester, England.
Tyson Fury’s defeat of Wilder made him the third world heavyweight champion to hold the Ring Magazine Title twice and has previously held the; World Boxing Organization, International Boxing Organizations, International Boxing Federation, and Unified WBA(Super) Titles among others.
BoxRec and ESPN rank Tyson Fury as the World’s best active heavyweight. Tyson Fury has won a total of 33 fights out of 34 and has drawn just one, which was in a fight with Wilder in 2018.
Delving a bit more into his personal life, Tyson Fury was born to Irish Traveller parents; Amber and John Fury that emigrated to England. This is why he represents Ireland and England in boxing. Fury comes from a family of boxers who groomed him to become the boxer he is today. His dad trained him from when he was 10 and some uncles who were boxers all contributed to his growth.
Apart from his boxing career, Fury is also popular as one of the faith-oriented public figures. He has faced criticism in some instances for his controversial statements and public show of faith. Tyson Fury has been associated with Christianity, but many still doubt these Christian beliefs. This article seeks to establish the status of Tyson Fury as a Christian.
Is Tyson Fury Religious?
Tyson Fury is widely known as a fighter, a husband, and a believer in the Christian faith. He has publicly affirmed his faith in the religion and upholds Christian religious beliefs.
Tyson is prayerful and usually prays before and after his fights. The heavyweight champion even includes his opponents in prayers and asks God for grace for them.
In a 2021 interview with The Spectator, Tyson Fury recounts his experience with depression and mental illness and how he was able to get over it with prayers. Fury said, “I went down as a four hundred-pound fat guy but when I got up off the floor after praying for like twenty minutes…I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.”
Tyson Fury attributes his recovery and success to religious beliefs. His mental health recovery cannot be mentioned without his faith coming in. Tyson disclosed that if it wasn’t for faith and conformity with Christian beliefs, he would have committed suicide. He disclosed this at the 2021 interview with The Spectator, “And if I could take me own life – and I wasn’t a Christian – I’d take it in a second. I just hope someone kills me before I kill myself and have to spend eternity in hell.”
Before his November 2015 fight with Wladimir Klitschko, Fury was seen praying with his team and even included his opponent in the prayer. His words were;
“Heavenly Father, I come to you in the mighty name of Jesus. Give both men strength tonight. Give both men the power to give their best performances and let both men come out of the ring safely. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. And those who bring weapons against me shall not prosper. Amen.”
At the end of the prayer, another team member was heard saying Muslim prayers and this gave rise to new rounds of debates about Tyson Fury’s religious stance. Following this scene, Tyson changed his Twitter username to “Riaz Tyson Muhammad” with a photo of him in a way traditional Muslim wear and many rumored that the boxer had changed his faith. Fury had long taken the name off and somehow abated the rumors of Islamic affiliations.
In a report by Premier Christian News, Fury shared his experience during the 2018 fight with Wilder that ended in a draw, he disclosed that,
“I don’t know how I got up. I had a holy hand upon me, that brought me back, and I’ve got a fighting spirit and I never say die, I get back up. Even in the 12th round when I got knocked down heavy, I got back up and probably won the round, fought back, and wobbled him a bit.”
Tyson Fury shares religious messages with fans on his social media handles and publicly expresses his faith at any time. Considering who society considers a religious person to be, we might be safe to say that Tyson Fury is religious.
Does Tyson Fury believe in God?
As someone that considers himself a devout Christian and publicly expresses his religious beliefs, it is obvious that Fury believes in God.
While speaking to Daily Mirror in 2015 before his fight with Wladimir, Fury revealed that he believes in God, and since God wants him to become a heavyweight Champion, he will be by his side while he battles out in the ring with Wladimir. His words were,
“I’m a big believer in destiny because I believe in God and I’m sure he wants me to become world heavyweight champion”
After defeating Wladimir in the fight, Fury acknowledged God for his victory and said, “God gave me the victory tonight.” He also wore a t-shirt with the inscription “God is all things most high” to celebrate this victory.
As a British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion in 2011, Fury granted UK’s Catholic Herald an interview where he shared messages about his faith. He mentioned that “going to heaven and being right with God” is the ultimate prize he will love to earn. He added that the talent he has is God-given and he is using it to the best of his ability.
He said in an interview with Premier Christianity:
“If I were a pastor in a church – even a successful church – I would only reach 1,000 people. If I were the heavyweight champion of the world I could get to more people than a million churches around the world. God knows this and God will use me to talk to people and tell them the good news.”
Tyson Fury has proven that he believes in God and his Christian faith remains unshaken.
Is Tyson Fury a Christian?
Even when Tyson Fury has outrightly professed his Christian faith, some still have doubts because of some controversial statements he made in the past and his career as a boxer. Some feel a true Christian should not engage in boxing, but Tyson sees boxing as just a sport and believes God had approved that he becomes a heavyweight champion, which is why he won the title.
Fury grew up in a Christian home, his mum was a Protestant, while his Dad was Catholic. Thus, his beliefs are a blend of both Catholic and Protestant beliefs. Fury’s parents were not very active in their religious practices but he was introduced actively to religion by his uncle who was a Pentecostal preacher in the Irish Traveller Community.
Fury’s wife is a practicing Christian and both got married in 2008 at Chains Catholic Church in South Yorkshire. Fury’s uncle who is a born-again Christian, helped him imbibe good Christian principles that have molded his life. The heavyweight champion makes public utterances about his faith and litters his social media pages with Christian messages which some fans claimed he is going too extreme with religion. He responded to these claims by stating, “I’m a believer…..I’ll say it no matter how many people it offends. I’ll say it.”
While battling with bipolar disorder in 2016, Tyson Fury once again stalwartly defended his faith in an interview with The Guardian. He mentioned that if he was not a Christian, he would have killed himself long ago because he does not want to live anymore. In his words:
“Am I not allowed to have a life now as well? Do they want to take my personal life off me, too? I’ve not been in a gym for months. I’ve not been training. I’ve been going through depression. I just don’t want to live anymore, if you know what I’m saying. I’ve had enough of it. They’ve forced me to the breaking edge. Never mind cocaine. I just didn’t care. I don’t want to live anymore. So cocaine is a little minor thing compared to not wanting to live anymore. I hope I die every day. And that’s a bad thing to say when I’ve got three children and a lovely wife, isn’t it? But I don’t want to live anymore. And if I could take my own life – and I wasn’t a Christian – I’d take it in a second. I just hope someone kills me before I kill myself. I’ll have to spend eternity in hell.”
In 2016, Fury’s public comment in a Youtube video got him dragged by many, with some asking him to take a break from boxing. Fury makes a lot of controversial comments and this time, he was giving views on bestiality, sexism, anti-Semitism, and homophobism that did not go well with the audience. In response to the criticisms, he said:
“I apologize to anyone who may have taken offense at any of my comments. I said some things, which may have hurt some people, which as a Christian man is not something I would ever want to do.”
Fury is a Christian and has done many things to prove this. He prays and even prays for his opponents before and after matches and has been very vocal about his Christian beliefs.
Is Tyson Fury Baptized?
As a long-standing Christian that has been affiliated with both Catholic and Pentecostal churches, there is every possibility that Fury is baptized though there is no public information about it. However, since baptism is sacrosanct for Christians to be fully admitted into the fold as the Bible directs, Tyson Fury must have been baptized.
Last year, Fury and his family were seen at his sixth child, Athena’s christening. He was criticized by some for wearing colorful and casual outfits for the ceremony instead of a suit as supposed. If Fury gets his children Baptized, it means that the boxer is baptized as well.
What did Tyson Fury say about Jesus?
Tyson has publicly professed his belief in Jesus Christ and has reverenced him severally and we’ll be highlighting some of those instances here.
After winning a WBC title upon defeating his opponent a few years ago, Fury acknowledged Jesus Christ for victory. His words were;
“Thank you to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I said those who bring evil against me will not prosper, I said those who stand in the dark can never come into the light. All praise be to the one and only true God, Jesus Christ”
Last month, Fury revealed that Jesus meant a lot to him and in the post, he said, Jesus is my everything. Below is the post from his official Instagram page:
Conclusion
The 34-year-old heavyweight champion has cemented his name in the boxing and heavyweight industry. Tyson Fury is driven by faith, upholds Christian principles, and has professed his belief in Jesus Christ. From our analysis of his comments, actions, and social media posts, we consider Tyson Fury a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!