Tyson Fury has been one of Britain’s biggest and most successful athletes of his generation, but his contributions to boxing have never been recognised in the Honours list

Tyson Fury was speaking at the IBA Pro 7 Press Conference and Fight Night in Istanbul(Image: @TheStompingGround-/Youtube)

Tyson Fury has admitted that he would not care if he is never recognised in King Charles III’s birthday or New Year honours list. Fury, 36, has been one of Great Britain’s most successful and talked about athletes of the last 20 years.

Whether it was his victory over Wladimir Klitschko, his return to boxing after suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, his ferocious trilogy against Deontay Wilder or his battles with Oleksandr Usyk, Fury’s career has been unforgettable.

Nevertheless, Fury has never been recognised with an MBE, even though the likes of Carl Froch and Anthony Joshua have received the award – the latter of which seeing his MBE be upgraded to an OBE in 2018 – within the same time period. Fury was also not included in the King’s birthday honours list last month.

However, Fury insists he would not be interested in an MBE or a knighthood, but would appreciate a new title being made in his honour.#

The Gypsy King, speaking at a Q&A ceremony at the IBA Pro 7 Press Conference and Fight Night in Istanbul, told reporters: “I’ve talked about this a few times before. The only honour I would accept is ‘Emperor of the North.’

“Unless they can create that for me, I am not interested in any other honours. Emperor of the North. That’s it. Not King of the North, there is only one King.”

A large number of boxers have been awarded an MBE, including Joe Joyce, Ricky Hatton, Frank Bruno, Johnny Spencer and many more. Despite holding the WBC World Heavyweight Championship for four years, Fury has never appeared on an honours list.

Tyson Fury has not fought since his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 2024(Image: 2024 Getty Images)

In 2022, former Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney suggested Fury’s achievements should make him eligible for a knighthood, let alone an MBE. Rooney told talkSPORT: “I think he’s an absolute legend for what he’s done for boxing.

“He’s entertaining, his skills are incredible, his mentality is incredible. If I’m being honest, I probably think he should be knighted because he hasn’t been afraid to go abroad, he’s won titles abroad, defended them abroad and he epitomises everything that boxing is.”

There may still be time for Fury to punch his way into the honours list in the future. While he was at the IBA’s event in Istanbul, Saudi Arabian general minister for entertainment Turki Alalshikh said Fury will be coming out of retirement again. He tweeted: “The ‘Gypsy King’ will be back!!! I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh Season in 2026…We have a rabbit to hunt!”

Turki Alalshikh tweeted that Tyson Fury would be coming out of retirement(Image: 2025 Getty Images)

His message suggests there will be a third fight against Usyk – who is often referred to as ‘the Rabbit’ – but the timeframes are currently unclear. The latter will be fighting Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday July 19 for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

Many British fans are hoping Fury will step into the ring to fight Joshua, but the Gypsy King insists he wants to get his revenge against Usyk. Fury said: “Who would I rather fight right now? Usyk, because I want my revenge in England.

“That’s all I want. I want a fair shout and I don’t believe I’ve got a fair shout the last two times. If I don’t get that, then it would be Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen.

“It would break records, and it would sell out 100,000 at Wembley in an hour. It’s a fight that I think can happen for sure if I decide to come back and if the deal’s right.”