EXCLUSIVE
Simon Jordan defends Tyson Fury after footage emerges of him falling down on street after drunken night out
Simon Jordan has come out in defence of Tyson Fury after footage emerged of him 'enjoying a drink too many' at a Morecambe pub.
A video obtained by showed Fury being escorted out of the establishment before falling to his knees on the pavement outside.
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One of Fury's friends told the British tabloid: "He had a couple too many and wasn't feeling well." The pal added that he hadn't had a drink in over a year.
Fury has faced some questions over his behaviour on social media but Jordan, who has not always seen eye to eye with 'The Gypsy King', insists he is 'allowed to do what he wants'.
"I saw the video and obviously Tyson Fury, six foot nine of him, is not going to be easy to miss," he said during Tuesday's edition of his popular talkSPORT show with Jim White.
"And so I felt an inherent sense of sadness about it, but at the same time, he is allowed to have a blowout if he wants to, if he wants to behave in that way.
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"He's a professional athlete, an elite professional athlete, so I'm not entirely sure the two things go hand in hand, but Tyson Fury lives his life in a certain way.
"I don't have any anger towards it. I want Tyson Fury to be able to go back into the ring, and because I'm English and British, I want him to be the heavyweight champion of the world, irrespective of my attitude towards some of his behaviour.
"I'm not interested in that being carried forward. I'm more interested in Tyson Fury being the best version of himself.
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"And if that is a way for him to get past some of the challenges he has has faced - it may well be a reaction to the loss - and it may well steer into the idea that Frank Warren wants us to contend with, which is that bipolarity preaches in Tyson's make-up and the challenges that go with that.
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"I would also add, as I said the other day, there's an element of hypocrisy behind people like Frank saying that, because ultimately, most neurophysicists will say, that by boxing, it will exacerbate his condition.
"So maybe you shouldn't be boxing anymore, but neither Frank nor anyone else would stand that argument up, because it would mean they'd lose their cash cow.
"I do look at it and think that Fury, falling on the floor drunk is probably not the greatest look for a boxer, but he's a grown man.
"He can look after himself, and I don't have any anger or inherent feeling towards it.
"I would just perhaps rather that someone didn't film it and feel there was an opportunity to get some cash or kudos from it...
"I hope and I assume that this is a moment in time where he has gone out, enjoyed himself and probably had a bit too much.
"Or it could be Tyson Fury playing possum with everybody, because you never know with the fella, you never know with him what he can create in people's minds."
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Fury is set to run it back with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 after dropping a split decision to the Ukrainian slickster in the first undisputed heavyweight title fight of the four-belt era last month.
Jordan hopes Fury will knock the drink on the head ahead of his next fight as he will need to be in the shape of his life to exact his revenge.
"All I want is Tyson Fury fighting in December, being the best version of Tyson Fury and beating Usyk, that's all I want," Jordan continued.
"I don't image you'll ever see a scene where you'll ever see Oleksandr Usyk staggering out of a bar so inebriated, apparently, that he can't stand up and falls over, because that's the way they live their lives differently...
"In the end, if you don't live your life properly you can't operate in your craft, and when you've got, what I believe to be an irresistible object in Tyson Fury against an immovable force in Oleksandr Usyk, then perhaps you need to live your life the best way you can.
"At this stage in his career, Tyson's getting older and the challenges are getting bigger, but he is also a human being, and he's bloody entitled to do what he wants."
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