Tyson Fury has been told by his dad John that he should get rid of his head trainer SugarHill Steward after branding the American "Judas".
World heavyweight champion Fury had been locked in crunch talks for an undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk until last week, with pictures emerging showing him training with Steward at his gym in Morecambe. But the American has claimed he wasn't preparing with the heavyweight for an upcoming bout, and was instead simply in the UK to work with Lawrence Okolie.
And now Fury's dad John has taken aim at Steward, telling his son to sack the trainer that brought him back to the world title with his wins over Deontay Wilder. The Brit believes that his son was treated like "Judas with Jesus" by his coach, and wants a clean break from the Kronk Gym trainer.
"Tyson knows my opinion and that is all those people wrapped around him want sacking," Fury told Metro.co.uk. "The lot! If they talk about loyalty, that’s not loyalty as far as I’m concerned. If you are stood by your man, shoulder to shoulder, you take it all.
"You’re not going to pass the blame or distance yourself from him. Tyson is my son and I will stand with him until the day I die. That thing with SugarHill the other day, what the hell was that about? 'I’m only here for Okolie.' What was he talking about? When I have seen him training Tyson, he was living in Tyson’s house.
"He had his missus there, he was using the gym and I have seen him working Tyson out. And all of a sudden he denied him like Judas Iscariot denied Jesus Christ? What the hell was going on there? For me, that is a sacking offence. He will be down the road for that charade."
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Steward was in Manchester to work with cruiserweight champion Okolie, and denied he had even held pads for Fury despite the pair being pictured together in the heavyweight's personal gym. He even declared that he was heading back to America the day after the Okolie bout, throwing cold water on the idea he was in the UK for a Fury training camp.
"It was upsetting," John continued. "Tyson just falls in love with these people and finds out they are not who they seem to be. It is all about pound signs and he has put SugarHill where he is. He give these guys a chance like the others he has put around him and it has ended in tears. Get rid of them, clear the board.
"How does the heavyweight champion need all this? It would be easier if he did it all himself and he has got capable people around him to help him do it. Not just me. With sound people around him we can make the right decisions and get on with it. Get rid of them all. They all want to be his best mate but as soon as things get a bit sticky and he gets a few bad comments, people want to distance themselves from him."
