(LifeSiteNews) — What if I told you that the heavyweight boxing champion of the world is an outspoken Catholic? Tyson Fury, the 6’9″, 266-pound world heavyweight boxing champion has often spoken of his faith, but you’ve got to see how it played out in one of the most stupendous boxing matches in the whole history of the sport.
Fury dedicates all his fights (and he has never lost a fight) to Our Lord Jesus Christ. He prays before every fight, not just for his own safety but for his opponent, too. And there’s lots more…
Right now the boxing world is focused on Fury’s matchup with Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. And that gives you the perfect opportunity to evangelize your friends who are into boxing, to inspire in your friends and family an interest in Jesus, to whom their hero Tyson Fury dedicates all his success.
In this show we’re going to take a closer look at Tyson Fury’s faith, which doesn’t get much focus in the mainstream media. And it gives me a great opportunity to introduce you to LifeSite’s editorial director Paul Smeaton, who has pointed out Tyson Fury’s faith.
RELATED: World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury is helping men grow in faith and hope: Part I
Now don’t get me wrong, Fury is by no means perfect. He’s one of the most outspoken, unpredictable characters in sport. His dress sense, his press conferences, his maverick fighting style — all of it is larger than life. He engages in the type of trash talk typical among professional fighters, which can sometimes be pretty vulgar. But that shouldn’t make us overlook the incredible witness he is giving to the faith or the amazing work he is doing to give hope to those battling mental health issues.
Paul Smeaton is going to talk us through one of the most compelling and profound personal journeys in Tyson Fury’s life, in which Fury is abundantly clear that “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” is absolutely central to him and everything about him, including his boxing.
RELATED: World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury is helping men grow in faith and hope: Part II
In this show we’re going to be digging into some of the biggest moments of Fury’s career. If you’re not familiar with his career and his story, then by the end of this show you’re going to want to know more. And if you’re already a Tyson Fury fan, this show will make you realize just how crucial Fury’s faith and Divine Providence have been in his life and career.
And it goes right back to the very beginning of his life, as Tyson Fury recounts in his autobiography Behind the Mask:
Fighting was in my DNA, and from the moment on 12 August 1988 I came out of my mother’s womb weighing in at just one pound I was showing my fighting spirit just to stay alive. My mum and dad feared the worst again when I struggled for life and the doctors made it clear that it was a 100 to 1 shot that I would make it through the night. But when I opened my eyes after coming back to life for the fourth time, my dad has told me that he looked at me and said, “He’s going to make it. He’ll be 7 foot tall, [weigh] 20 stone (280 pounds), he’s going to be called after Mike Tyson and he’ll be the heavyweight champion of the world.”
How incredible that all of that came true. This is The John-Henry Westen Show.
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