John Fury has admitted he was pranking his followers for April Fools' Day with his promise to run for Mayor of Greater Manchester earlier this morning .
The former boxer, whose son Tyson is the world heavyweight champion, took to social media to declare that he would be making the move into politics, and convinced many fans that he was serious about the new endeavour.
But it has now been confirmed that he was simply pulling a practical joke, and won't be moving into the political sphere in the short-term. The plot was ultimately a promotional tool for a deal he has inked with freebets.com, and he plans to stay in boxing as a coach to fighters in Manchester.
Liam Benton, spokesperson for Freebets.com, where John Fury works as a brand ambassador, confirmed that Fury would "sadly not be running in 2024" and that it was all an elaborate April Fool’s joke.
Many fans had caught on to the fact that it was a joke, but a number also weren't sure and stated their support for Fury in his new political endeavours.
In an Instagram video posted this morning and viewed over 65,000 times, Fury said: "Good morning to all out there, news. I am running in the next election for the Mayor of Manchester. Because these politicians are absolutely useless and I think I could do a better job.
"So keep listening and keep your eyes peeled, you'll see me very shortly up there in the elections in 2024. I'm sure I can do a better job than the so called politicians of today. Thank you for listening and have a nice day, bye-bye."
One fan replied: "Yessss big John Fury wish I lived in that voting location good luck big man," while another added that it was "bloody brilliant" that he would make a run in the next election. The current Mayor, Labour's Andy Burnham has been in the position since 2017.
Would you vote for John Fury as Mayor of Greater Manchester? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
He is currently focusing on his son Tyson's training camp for his next world title defence against Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium. Fury is making his homecoming to the UK for the first time since the summer of 2018 when he faces fellow Brit Whyte, and will have his dad in the corner for the first time since then.
He has exclusively fought for and defended his belt in the United States after drawing with Deontay Wilder in 2018 and subsequently signing a broadcasting deal with ESPN. He would ultimately beat Wilder twice more as well as facing Otto Wallin and Tom Schwarz, all of which took place in Las Vegas.
John is unable to travel to America due to a visa issue stemming from a past conviction, so he hasn't cornered his son since his win over Francesco Pianeta in August of 2018. His younger son Tommy is also expected to return to the ring for his first fight since August last year on the undercard.
