Tyson Fury’s father John has urged his son to sack Sugarhill Steward, accusing the coach of lacking ‘loyalty’.
Steward joined Fury’s team ahead of a 2020 rematch with Deontay Wilder, a fight that the Briton won via TKO. Fury, 34, has done the same in his three bouts since – against Wilder once more, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. Now, however, John Fury has called on his son to part ways with the American trainer.
Steward said last week that his focus was on training Lawrence Okolie for a fight versus David Light – a contest that Okolie won on points on Saturday – rather than on preparing Fury for a potential bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury vs Usyk would have crowned an undisputed heavyweight champion, but talks collapsed last week. In any case, John Fury took issue with Steward’s comments.
“Tyson knows my opinion, and that is: All those people wrapped around him want sacking, the full lot,” John Fury told Metro via FreeBets.com.
“If they talk about loyalty, that’s not loyalty as far as I’m concerned. If you are stood by your man, shoulder to shoulder, you take it all. That thing with Sugarhill the other day, what the hell was that about? ‘I’m only here for Okolie.’
“What was he talking about, when I have seen him training Tyson, he was living in Tyson’s house, he had his missus there, he was using the gym, and I have seen him working Tyson out? And all of a sudden he denied him like Judas Iscariot denied Jesus Christ.
“For me, that is a sacking offence. It was upsetting. Tyson just falls in love with these people and finds out they are not who they seem to be. It is all about pound signs, and he has put Sugarhill where he is.
“He gives these guys a chance like the others he has put around him, and it has ended in tears. Get rid of them, clear the board. How does the heavyweight champion need all this? It would be easier if he did it all himself, and he has got capable people around him to help him do it. Not just me.”
Tyson Fury’s next move is unclear, while unified champion Usyk is expected to fight WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
However, Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has opened the door to more talks with Fury – despite negotiations collapsing on two previous occasions.
Joshua is first set to fight Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
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