Tyson Fury’s promotor, Bob Arum, has revealed that the heavyweight fighter turned down a second COVID-19 vaccination shot before testing positive for the virus.
Fury was initially due to take on Wilder in their trilogy fight on July 24th, but the fight has since been delayed until October 9th after the WBC heavyweight champion tested positive for COVID-19.
While that will have been frustrating enough for all involved, it turns out that Fury actually rejected the second vaccine shot through fear that he was going to get sick ahead of the fight with Wilder.
In hindsight, he may be able to see the error in his ways – though, there is no guarantee that having the second jab will have prevented him from contracting the virus.
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Fury’s promotor, Bob Arum, gave the full run-down to boxingscene.com:
“He got vaccinated in Miami. He got the first shot. And then he said he didn’t wanna get the second shot because he didn’t wanna get sick [from the vaccination] so close to the fight. So, he got COVID instead.”
“I knew he had one shot, and I was hoping it was Johnson & Johnson. But it wasn’t. It was Moderna.”
“I don’t know if the second shot would’ve meant anything because you still can get COVID after getting the second shot. I don’t know if it would’ve made a difference, really. He still wouldn’t have been able to train with it.”
Fury may well have tested positive regardless – there’s no way to know for certain. Rather than reflecting on the rejection, he ought to focus on getting well and fit for the new date, October 9th.
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