Tyson Fury claims he earned £42,000 for his incredible debut win over Bela Gyongyosi.
The ‘Gypsy King’ has had an incredible career as one of the heavyweight division’s leading contenders, while reigning as a unified world champion at the peak of his powers.
Fury had an extensive and impressive amateur career, but narrowly missed out on a shot at representing either England or Ireland at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
But he elected to turn professional in December of that year, taking on Gyongosi in Nottingham, after signing a promotional deal with promoter Mick Hennessy.
Fury wanted rounds in the ring early on his career, but his showdown with Hungarian Gyongosi certainly saw him make an early statement.
The ‘Gypsy King’ showed off his elite pedigree early on, and hi rival was retreating to the ropes with just one minute in the contest.
He unloaded a short sharp burst of punches to the head of his rival, which failed to land through his desperate guard.
But the finishing moment came as he unleashed a booming left hand to the body of his rival who immediately crumpled to his knees.
The Hungarian was doubled over wincing in pain and gasping for air, but managed to rise to his feet.
But he was clearly still damaged, and the referee decided to halt the contest and prevent him from sustaining any further damage.
It was a huge moment for Fury who had burst through and kicked down the door into the professional ranks.
When recalling his maiden appearance as a pro, the ‘Gypsy King’ revealed he earned around £42,000 in total, which he was delighted with.
Tyson Fury claims his fight against ‘local amateur boxer’ Oleksandr Usyk was ‘easy’ and that he had ‘too much fun’
He told iFL TV: “Nine grand. I got nine grand, and I got one hundred grand signing bonus.
“Thirty-three grand a year for three years, and nine grand for my first one [fight], so really I got forty-two grand for my first fight, which wasn’t bad back in the day.
“I was a millionaire back then. I’ve probably still got that forty-two grand, you know?”
Fast forward 16 years, and Fury has generated huge revenue from the sport with a reported net worth of £50million according to Forbes Magazine.
In his last fight, the Briton completed a full circle moment competing for the undisputed heavyweight world titles against Oleksandr Usyk in May.
It was reported that the WBC champion at the time had earned in excess of $100m to throw hands with the Ukrainian.
Unfortunately Fury lost his belt and was defeated for the first time in his career, but still went home with his pockets lined.
He will also receive another lucrative opportunity in Saudi Arabia, with Fury set to net another huge payday for his December 21 sequel against Usyk.
It represents almost a 2000 times increase on his pay cheques in comparison to his famous first night as a professional.
Fury’s remarkable rise took its first big step as he became British champion in 2010 with a win over John McDermott.
He then went on to challenge Wladimir Klitschko for the unified world titles in 2015 in his breakout moment on foreign soil.
The Briton outboxed the feared Ukrainian to pick up the crowns and cause a huge upset in one of the best performances from a British fighter overseas.
After a three-year time out of the ring overcoming his battle with mental health struggles, Fury became a superstar and boomed on the global stage.
His trilogy with Deontay Wilder saw him make his name in the US and in the UK, as he defeated the famous American twice in 2020 and 2021 and became a two-time world champion.
He earned close to £40m combined from the three outings, before selling out Wembley Stadium for his 2022 clash with Dillian Whyte.
Fury’s first lucrative payday in the Middle Eat came in 2023 when he pocketed around $50m [£39m] for his difficult win over Francis Ngannou.
After an expensive two clashes with Usyk, Fury suggested he is eyeing history by bidding to become the world’s first £500m boxer.
He said before his defeat in May this year: “[I will] fight eight to 10 more times to the age of 40.
“Happy days, with those fights I’ll become the first £500m heavyweight boxer in history.
“I’m going in there to get paid, get laid, and come back to Morecambe Bay. I probably won’t even buy anything, because I don’t need anything.
“I’ll do any rematch exactly the same, get paid, get laid, come home, Morecambe Bay, still not buy anything.”
