“Give him a bit of a break”: Boxing champion Tyson Fury defends Max Verstappen over ‘bad boy’ image after performances in last few races

Boxing World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury has shown that he’s in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s corner in his epic title battle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen and Hamilton will go into Abu Dhabi with equal points to decide the fate of the driver’s championship. This marks only the second time in Formula 1 history that such a situation has come up.

The racing style of Verstappen in his last few races has left him wide open for criticism from fans, drivers and even pundits. One such critic was F1 veteran Martin Brundle who said his recent driving style has ‘saddened’ him.

Tyson Fury however has openly shown his support for the Dutch driver and defended him against the ‘bad boy’ image the media is supposedly painting Verstappen in. The boxer has also wished both drivers well before the deciding race in Abu Dhabi.

Taking to Instagram to share his thoughts, Tyson said:

“Just been doing a bit of reading up about the F1 rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and how Max is being made out to be a bit of a ‘bad boy’ in the media.”

“I know how it feels to be treated horribly by the media. It is not nice, you know, especially when you are young and ambitious and you want to win.”

“Give him a bit of a break, he is trying his best.”

“Good luck to both men in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This rivalry reminds me of James Hunt and Niki Lauda racing for the title. Who is going to win it boys? Come on the boys!”

Fury and Hamilton have a history

Tyson Fury, just like Lewis Hamilton is someone who is not afraid to voice his opinion in public, no matter how unpopular it may be. 

Earlier this year, Fury was voicing his frustration on how he feels his own countrymen overlook his achievements in the field of boxing. While doing so, he took a swing (pun very much intended) at fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton for not living and paying taxes in England.

“Unlike Lewis Hamilton, I live and pay taxes which went up to £9 million last year.” said the frustrated sportsman.

It is common knowledge that many F1 drivers enjoy living in Monaco as it is a tax-free haven. The latest to join the long list of drivers to shack up in the Principality is McLaren’s Lando Norris.

However, the claims regarding Hamilton evading taxes in the UK are false. According to the HMRC report of 2019, the seven-time world champion is among the 5,000 highest tax payers in the UK.

Despite Fury adding fuel to the baseless allegations on Hamilton, the British racing driver took to Instagram to wish Fury well when he won the Boxing championship.