Despite Tyson Fury’s Backing, Tom Aspinall Admits Corruption Ruined His Boxing Stint

“Tyson actually helped me out a lot in my career… not just with the hands, but with the mental aspects as well.” It has now become common intel that Tom Aspinall and Tyson Fury were sparring partners. Of course, the friendship between the two combat sports titans has helped either one in their quest for greatness. But while Fury ultimately got the chance to fight for the championship belt and won, Aspinall is yet to do the same.

However, long before the interim heavyweight champion started going after Jon Jones, he was troubled with the lack of sparring partners near his bodyweight. And that’s when Tyson’s uncle, Peter Fury, swooped in to help. The British mixed martial artist has often talked highly of Peter Fury. After all, he’s the one who turned him into the striker he is today.

Talking about his training, Aspinall once said, “Peter Fury taught me a lot. Be on the move, use your fakes, and keep them guessing. I soaked up everything like a sponge.” No doubt, he won 11 out of 15 fights by TKO/KO and has the shortest average fight time inside the Octagon at just 2 minutes and 2 seconds. But do you know how exactly the UFC heavyweight star met the boxing coach? 

That’s what the interim champion revealed during his recent conversation with Demetrious Johnson. Aspinall said, “At the time, so my dad’s friends with a guy called Peter Fury. Peter Fury is like a boxing legend. Legendary boxing trainer. He’s like, trained Tyson Fury, he’s trained a lot of other, you know, high-level boxers. And I was struggling for sparring even at the time. I couldn’t find any sparring partners. My dad’s friends with Peter Fury.”

The Brit continued, “I started going down to the boxing gym to spar with Tyson Fury and some other fighters down there. And they just kept seeing me like book fights, the fight would get cancelled, and then I’d be back to square one. It’d go like that for a bit. So, then it was a little bit like, ‘Well, why don’t you just box?’ So, I was like, ‘They’ve got a point.'”

During the time between 2020 to 2022, Aspinall was booked in 11 fights, and 5 of them were cancelled. Nevertheless, ‘Mighty Mouse’ joined in and claimed that there are plenty of heavyweight boxers around the world. Needless to say, Aspinall could have made a fortune for himself in the squared rings. However, there was a catch!

Even though he opted to box a little, he had no chance of rising in the sport. The Brit claimed, “Yeah. I’m just gonna box for a little bit. Anyway, long story short, I did that for a couple of years. That didn’t work out. Like I thought it was going to…  That’s corrupt as hell in this country.”

MMA: UFC Fight Night – London – Aspinall vs Tybura Jul 22, 2023 London, UNITED KINGDOM Tom Aspinall red gloves enters the arena before the fight against Marcin Tybura blue gloves during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. London O2 Arena UNITED KINGDOM, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPerxHaljestamx 20230722_szo_om2_0164 A

Nevertheless, Fury and the entire world knew how strong the heavyweight MMA athlete was. And sparring with the strongest further enhanced his prowess. But is it enough to actually defeat Jon Jones? Let’s see what Tyson Fury and his father, John Fury, had to say about Aspinall’s strengths. 

Tyson Fury and his father weigh in on Tom Aspinall’s strength

Weighing in on the big question, ‘The Gypsy King’ wasn’t going to back down on his friend and sparring partner. He said, “It’s a tough one. Jon Jones is the Tyson Fury of MMA. People are unable to beat him. But if anyone can do it, it’s Tom Aspinall. He’s big enough, he’s got the power, and he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu.” Of course, Aspinall has been honing his ground game ever since he was a child. And with Peter Fury’s lessons instilled in him, Aspinall has become quite a weapon. But what did Fury Sr. have to say about the UFC interim heavyweight champion? 

According to John Fury, Aspinall is set to do great things in the Octagon. He opined, “Because he can actually box well, punches hard, and moves really well for a heavyweight. He’s a big guy, six feet four or five, 18 stone. But he’s got bottle and guts to burn, and he’s a big, strong lad. He’s willing to learn and improve his game. I like him, I like his attitude, he’s a warrior like Tyson. Keep doing your thing. Tom Aspinall… You’re great, mate, I like you a lot.”

Right now, there’s no one more deserving of the title shot than Aspinall. However, things haven’t worked well in his favor. Instead of unifying the belt, the Britisher was forced to defend his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes. And even after he won, things have remained uncertain. As fans, all we can do is wait and watch the story unfold. 

Do you think Aspinall would have fared well as a professional boxer? Can he rise victorious with just his boxing prowess against ‘Bones’, if and when they finally fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below. 

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