TYSON Fury was relaxing in Majorca with wife Paris when he was woken at 7am with a call that changed his life.
His beloved cousin Rico Burton, who he treated as a brother, had been stabbed to death outside a club, at the age of 31.
The devastating effect on the world heavyweight champ is captured in moving scenes in the new Netflix series At Home with the Furys.
Tyson, who has bipolar disorder and was struggling with retirement from the ring at the time, plunged into a deep low on hearing the news, leaving wife Paris fearing he would spiral into a long and damaging depression.
“Tyson got the call early in the morning,” she says on camera. “He went into a really low, quiet mood which isn’t good for Tyson.
"Such a devastating phone call can change everything that’s going on in his life and I think Tyson found it really hard to process that it happened.”
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Horror stabbing
Rico was stabbed in the neck with a seven-inch blade during a brawl outside a group of bars in Altrincham, Cheshire.
Last week, killer Liam O’Pray, 22, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court over the senseless murder.
At the time of the tragedy, Tyson posted a heartfelt plea to end knife crime. But the nine-part documentary, released on August 16, reveals the full impact of the tragedy on The Gypsy King, and the part it played in his triumphant comeback to the ring, in December.
It also highlights the fears that both Tyson, 34, and Paris, 32, – who have six kids and seventh on the way – have about the long term effects of the sport, including brain damage, and the battle between his poor mental health when inactive and the risk of physical harm in the ring.
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12The night of Rico’s death, Tyson, dad John and Paris were watching the world heavyweight title bout between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, in Majorca, ahead of a meet-and-greet with fans.
Tyson went on to party with Paris, unaware of the horrific events unfolding at home until the call from his cousin Justin, the following morning, brought him crashing down.
"Last night I was on a high after the Usyk fight,” he says. “We had a great party, me and Paris were dancing. It was a great night.
“Then this morning I got a phone call telling me my cousin Rico has been killed. It’s like someone took the plug out of me and all the life had come out of me. Rico had a whole lot of life to live and now he’s finished, shocking news. "
Reminiscing about their childhood together he adds: “Me and Rico are really close. We trained at the same boxing club together. We used to play up and down when we were small kids, hide and seek, building dens. Precious moments.”
Fears of suicidal thoughts
While anxious Paris sits by the pool in the luxury villa, heartbroken Tyson lies on a chaise longue inside, staring blankly into space.
Mum-of-six Paris, who met Tyson when he was 17 and she was 15 and married him in 2008, worries that the grief will overwhelm him.
Remembering the spiral of depression and drug and drink addiction that followed the death of their unborn baby and his beloved uncle Hughie, in the same hospital, in 2014, she says: “Tyson doesn’t handle death very well.
“He doesn’t know the normal procedures of life and he handles it in his own way, so his own way today is that he’s locked himself in the room and hasn’t really spoken to any of us since.
“I think he’d like to be at home right now but he can't go anywhere because he’s got something like 1,500 people coming to the show tonight and to be the cheery, upbeat Tyson Fury they’ve all paid to come and see.
“He’ll dig deep and find his space because he is a showman and that's what they do."
The boxer, who has been open about his mental health struggles, ballooned to 28st and was drinking 18 pints a day at his lowest ebb in 2015, and admitted he was on the brink of suicide.
With the sad news coinciding with his feelings of having no purpose, having stepped away from the ring, Paris fears a return to those dark days but says she’ll pull him through.
“Tyson has taken Rico’s death really hard so I’m supporting him 100 per cent. We’re in it, ride or die,” says Paris.
“Me and Tyson, we’ve been through some tough times, we’ve had some serious tough situations whether it’s been the kids being ill, or me being in hospital or Tyson having his depression times, we went through some tough stuff. We can make it through anything."
But dad John worries the new heartbreak could send him over the edge again.
"Tyson doesn’t deal very well with death but none of us do,” he says. “What he tends to do is think to himself ‘Life isn't worth living. What am I doing all this for? Why have I done what I’ve done in my life when it can all be taken away from you in the blink of an eye."
'Awakening day'
While Tyson retreats into himself, he puts on a brave face to attend the Majorca show, just hours after his loss.
He tells the audience about the moment he was told of Rico’s death: "I’ve had my blood turned cold because you never know when your time’s up and you’re only ever one phone call away from disaster so it’s been a real awakening day.
“I’ve had that many emotions today I’m not too sure how to handle it. You people came to see the show but I’ve had the f***ing day from hell to be honest with you.
“But it’s made me realise one thing – that life and time is very precious and it can be taken away from anybody at any time."
It’s made me realise one thing – that life and time is very precious and it can be taken away from anybody at any time
Flying home, he barely speaks and when they meet Paris’ mum Lynda for a pub lunch, close to their Morecambe Bay home, he sits alone outside and broods.
“Tyson hasn’t said more than ten words to me in the last two days,” says Paris. “Tyson wants to stick his head in the sand, I'm letting him have that moment for himself because obviously he’s still upset.”
Just two days later, on a run along the bay, the ever-impulsive fighter finds his own solution to his low mood – posting an Instagram message challenging boxing promoters to raise £500million to lure him back into the ring,
“If I’m going to put all on the line boys it has to be half a billion or more,” he says, giving them seven days to raise the cash, “If not, thank you very much it’s been a blast. So let the games begin.”
Blindsided, Paris worries he’s not in the “right frame of mind” to be making huge decisions, but the dramatic change in Tyson’s mood, as he begins to dream of a comeback, gives he pause for thought
After she challenges him over the post, he jokes: “If I got half a billion I might start shopping at Sainsbury’s instead of Asda and if I get another half a billion, I might up the ante and shop in M&S. Come on!”
“You can instantly see how delighted he is in boxing talk,” she says. “You can see the mood lift on him, he’s excited, he’s happy, just because he’s had a conversation about boxing.”
Even so, Paris is shocked when Tyson announces he has made a deal on his comeback, without telling her, announcing in a restaurant that: “I can confirm I’m coming home baby. I’m fighting Nov 12.”
To make matters worse he tells his worried wife: “I’m sad that I ever thought of retirement. I’m going to continue ‘til I can’t fight anymore. I’m going to be like all the rest of them, battered to pieces with brain damage.”
“Boxing is not a game, it’s a very dangerous sport,” she says. “One punch can cause life devastating effects.”
But Tyson reveals he is “lost” without the sport and that he felt choked by retirement.
“Why am I boxing? Because it’s the only thing I’ve got in my life,” he says. “That might sound strange with me having a family. However, having retired for a few months, I realise it’s the only thing I can do. Without it I’m lost.”
Tyson announced he was coming out of retirement in October 2022 and defeated Derek Chisora in his comeback bout, in front of a 60,000 strong crowd at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in December.
He is set to fight UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28.
With his second retirement over, Tyson has no plans to quit for some time.
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“When I knew it was finally over it was like someone cut a lifeline on me and stopped me breathing almost,” he says. “As soon as I said I was coming back, it was gone, and I’m feeling great again. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to let go.”
At Home with the Furys is available on Netflix from August 16
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