Peter Fury is best known to boxing fans as Tyson Fury's uncle and the man who helped guide him to a world title win over Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in 2015. But the answer to who is Peter Fury reaches far beyond the corner of a boxing ring.
Long before he became part of Tyson Fury's rise, Fury built a reputation in the North West of England after climbing the ranks of the criminal underworld. He once controlled a significant drug operation in the North, led a gang that smuggled amphetamines from Belgium and distributed them across cities, and by his own account was a violent young man who picked fights, then found that people came to him for protection because he was seen as tough.
Fury has described that period bluntly. "I was wild when I was younger," he said. "I'd see someone with a nice pair of trainers on and want to have a fight with them." He added: "Then anyone who wanted protection would come to me because I was seen as a tough young fella." In his telling, it escalated quickly: "One thing led to another." And then, "I went from looking after people, to looking after other areas to looking after cities."
That rise was not built on boxing alone. Fury owned a Ferrari and a Porsche 911 with a personalised number plate, yet he continued to live in caravans and maintained his traveller roots. He later claimed his wealth came from boxing, bare-knuckle fighting and selling cars. The money trail told a different story. Evidence showed he was conducting illicit transactions using bank accounts in America, Spain and Ireland.
His criminal record began to catch up with him in 1994, when he was apprehended with a rucksack containing 10kg of speed. He was sentenced that year to 10 years for possession of amphetamine with intent to supply. He was later reincarcerated in 2008 for money laundering and ordered to repay nearly £1million in assets. Alun Milford said at the time: "It is clear from his realisable assets that Fury has enjoyed an extremely comfortable lifestyle and we will work vigorously to ensure he pays the court's order."
Fury has also spoken about prison as a place where weakness is punished fast. "You're on a knife edge," he said. "They soon get to know if you can fight and stand up for yourself." He added: "If you are weak in prison then you get quickly found out." And he said of his own time inside: "I was regarded as dangerous, so I was locked up with IRA members and lifers."
That is the tension at the centre of his public life: the same man who carried a serious criminal past also played a part in one of British boxing's biggest nights. For Tyson Fury, the uncle in his corner was not just family. He was a hard-edged presence shaped by years in and around crime, and the record shows both sides plainly.
