Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Boxing, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury
Luke Davies
Tyson Fury issued a six-word response when questioned about whether he followed up on his promise of donating his purse to charity following his first bout against Deontay Wilder.
Fury, 37, made the pledge before his draw against Wilder back in December 2018. The 37-year-old reportedly received between £7m and £8m for his efforts in the ring and had earlier promised “to give it to the poor”.
According to the Irish Mirror, Fury said: "I'm going to give it to the poor and I'm going to build homes for the homeless.
"I don't really have much use for it. I'm not interested in becoming a millionaire or a billionaire.
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"I'm a boxer, not a businessman, and I'll probably go down the same route as every other boxer - skint at the end of it all.
"You can't take it with you, so I might as well do something with it and help out people who can't help themselves."
He added: "When I go home, I'm going to build some homes for the homeless and set up some funds for drug addicts and alcoholics.
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"I was always going to do it, but being here (in California) gives me that extra push to go and do it even more.
"It has really opened my eyes to a lot of things, and I’m leaving as a better person.
"There are a lot of homeless people on the streets here, more than I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m staying in downtown LA, but if you go five minutes down the road, there’s like – I don’t know – thousands of homeless people.
"I’m just an outsider with an opinion, but it’s a situation that is happening all over the world, especially in the UK as well."
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Fury has also previously discussed how he believes his children “should make their own money” in life so they “appreciate it”.
On Wednesday, a clip from a video interview - released three years ago - involving IFL TV host Kugan Cassius and Fury circulated on social media.
Cassius asked Fury if he donated his purse to charity following the first Wilder fight, to which the heavyweight replied: “That’s my business, mind your own."
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SPORTbible has contacted Tyson Fury’s representatives for comment.
According to Forbes, Fury was the 42nd highest-paid athlete in the world as of May 2024, having earned $42m (£30m) that year.
This was before he fought and lost against Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in December 2024, for which he reportedly pocketed another £67.3m - with the Ukrainian earning £84m for his efforts in the ring.
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The 'Gypsy King' also supplements his earnings with various business ventures, including a nutrition company named ‘Furocity’.
GB News report that his net worth is now at least £162m, with his overall fortune likely to exceed £200m.