Boxing legend Tyson Fury has revealed how his daughter's near death inspired him before one of his greatest victories.
Last year, baby Athena was born prematurely while the Gypsy King was preparing for his highly-anticipated match against Deontay Wilder. In his new book, Gloves Off, Tyson recalls the emotional incident surrounding his daughter's birth and how it inspired him to beat Wilder with an eleventh-round knockout.
At the beginning of August 2021, Athena was born prematurely at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary - two months before the fight was due to take take place. Initially, it seemed that everything went perfectly with the birth and Tyson was even able to hold his daughter for the first time, the Sun reports.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the midwife snatched Athena out of Tyson's arms. It seemed that her heart was beating too quickly so hospital staff rushed to hook Athena up to a machine, revealing that her heart rate had jumped to an astonishing 300 beats per minute when it should have been closer to 120.
In an attempt to slow down her heart rate, Athena was injected with a substance that brought it down to 140bpm. However, this was only a temporary fix as her heartrate shot up again, potentially leading to a cardiac arrest and death.
Speaking of the incident, Tyson said: "I saw nurses sedating Athena; someone was putting a tube down her throat to assist her breathing; and while everybody seemed to be acting calmly amid the chaos, there is nothing a parent can do in a situation like that, other than to watch and pray. I’d been reduced to nothing.
"My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing."
Hospital staff eventually decided to rush Athena to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. Fortunately, when she got there, her heart rate began to stabilise. Tyson added: "It was so hard to see her on an incubator, with several tubes and wires coming out of her body.
"She looked so tiny and vulnerable, and even though her situation had improved, the doctors were warning us we weren’t yet out of the woods. Athena’s heart rate was still all over the place, and at any given moment she might die."
Tyson had shacked himself up in the Ronald McDonald House which provides accommodation for parents at the hospital. He decided to stay there until Athena's situation had improved - at the time, he wasn't putting much thought into the fight with Wilder.
He added: "If it was to go ahead, my preparation would have to happen at breakneck speed. Once my schedule was pieced together, I estimated I had around four weeks to get into fighting form. It wasn’t long, but I could still make it."
Fortunately, Athena was taken off the incubator and she had begun showing signs of improvement. During this period, Tyson was jogging around the hospital with his dad to try and keep in shape.
However, he wasn't eating as well as he should have been, and he was also recovering from Covid, making his lungs feel "like two sheets of sandpaper whenever I put in a shift". Things took a sharp turn for the worse when Tyson received a call off Paris, telling him that 'the baby's died;.
After hearing this, Tyson ran to the ward, fearing the worst had happened. "My chest burned, my legs were in agony, and as I ran I tried my best to console Paris," he said.
"‘It’s going to be alright,’ I panted down the phone. ‘Let the doctors do their job. Don’t worry . . .’" Upon arriving to his daughter's bedside, Tyson saw her surrounded by "a hundred medics".
She had supposedly become unresponsive while Paris was holding her. Medics were able to resuscitate her, but the incident had a lasting effect on Paris who has unable to stay calm.
"Eventually, to our enormous relief, and with the grace of God the doctors were able to steady Athena. We were told she would have to remain in hospital until she’d made a full recovery."
It wasn't for three more weeks that Athena would be allowed to go home, all while Tyson was either sleeping at the Ronald McDonald House or on the hospital ward floor. He was also faced with the prospect of holding off the Wilder fight.
He added: "It’s not as if I didn’t have a good reason for requesting a delay. Sleeping rough on the floor of a hospital wasn’t the best way to prepare for anything, let alone a world heavyweight title bout against a man who was talking up my murder."
Despite this, Tyson was dedicated to carry on with the fight, so he used Athena as inspiration. "I’d had a tough time for sure, but not as tough a time as Athena – and she’d shown the strength and willpower to fight her way back to life," he said.
"I would turn her battle into fuel." On October 9, 2021, Tyson faced Wilder in the ring and beat him with an eleventh-round knockout. The fight is now considered to be one of the most spectacular of Tyson's career.
"It was Athena’s successful battle which inspired me to win mine," Tyson said.
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