The shocking reason Tommy Fury’s dad went to prison, and a full rundown of his life

Tommy Fury’s dad John features in the boxer’s new Amazon Prime documentary a lot, but he doesn’t really give much away about his personal life.

We get a small glimpse inside his surprisingly normal-looking home in Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury and get the sense he isn’t interested in fame or money at all.

Tommy also mentions his dad going away for a while as he was in prison, but what did he go to jail for? Here’s everything we know about John Fury.

Credit: Amazon Prime

Tommy Fury’s dad was a boxer himself

Tommy’s dad is actually from Galway in Ireland, but he doesn’t have an Irish accent. He was born in a small town called Guam into an Irish traveller family and moves to Manchester when he was four because his dad couldn’t find any work.

He started boxing on campsites as a child and became a professional boxer for eight years from 1987 to 1995. His first fight was with rugby league player Adam Fogerty in Halifax, West Yorkshire and he had eight wins, four losses and one draw in his whole career.

After quitting boxing, John became a boxing cornerman, the person who supports a fighter from outside the ring and assists them between rounds. He still does that now, for Tyson, Tommy and his brother Roman.

John Fury went to prison in 2011

In 2011, when Tommy was just 12 years old, John went to prison after a fight at a car auction. He got into a brawl with an old friend called Oathie Sykes and ended up gauging his eye out, leaving him half blind.

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He was convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 11 years behind bars. John begged the court for a lower sentence, saying: “I’m worried about my son. His boxing career is on the line. If I could give my own eye to him to get back to my children I would do – I’m begging you for my life.”

However, he only spent four years in jail and was released in February 2025 due to good behaviour. Speaking about his time in prison to Betfred in 2021, he said: “The worst kind of a nightmare is to be locked up.

“Especially when you’re used to being free and doing as you want to do and going where you want to. But clever people and strong people mind and body can adjust and I adjusted early on saying right, ‘I’m not going to get out of this but I thought it’s better than being dead.”

Credit: Tyson Fury/Instagram

Are Tommy Fury’s mum and dad still married?

Tommy Fury’s dad keeps his personal life pretty private, but he is believed to still married be married to the boxer’s mum Chantal Fury. They were recently spotted together at his documentary premiere.

The pair share two sons together, Tommy and Roman. Before that, John was married to his first wife Amber, the mother of John Boy, Tyson, Shane, and Huey.

Chantal prefers to stay away from the limelight and is rarely seen in public. However, she did fly out to Majorca to visit Tommy when he was on Love Island.

On many occasions, John has spoken about being a very simple and traditional man, who is still strongly influenced by his traveller roots.

In 2024, John told the Daily Star: “I’ve nothing to write home about. I’ve no money. I live in a shed. I drive a 30-year-old car. I live on rabbit stew. I live on what I kill.

“I’m the only man in the world that probably spends Christmas in the middle of a wood in the dead of winter with himself and a dog. That’s me. I don’t wanna change. But what I am is a good Christian man. I respect people who respect me. I’m polite.”

However, Tommy’s new documentary clearly shows him sitting in a house, so it seems as though his living situation might have changed since then.

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Featured image by: Tommy Fury/Instagram and Amazon Prime