This Week I am Reading ... Mr Mike Brookes

Mr Mike Brookes is our Games and Gym teacher at Elmfield as well as being our Class 9 Guardian. Mike shares his review of Behind the Mask by Tyson Fury below.

Although Tyson Fury may not be to everyone's liking, his autobiography ‘Behind the Mask’ is a life story of many ups and downs. The title of his autobiography really captures a side of his career that to us, we wouldnt know looking in. He starts by explaining that actually growing up he was a “shy, quiet character” it was only when he became a professional boxer the mask went on and the side we now know of Tyson Fury was created. He says that “when I started professional boxing I thought that if I was going to get attention I had to shout my mouth off, because being myself wouldn’t work, the mask would go on and I eventually became lost in the character of Tyson Fury”. This side of Fury had become an invader, which eventually led him astray and to the eventual reason as to why I am writing about him today - his mental health struggles.

Mental health struggles are becoming more and more prominent in life. We don’t know who has them and behind the mask of everyday life, how someone could be struggling. The story of Tyson Fury’s mental health struggles is a successful one and one of a man, who himself, has previously claimed to be the ‘baddest man on the planet’, hitting rock bottom but still putting on the mask to become heavyweight champion of the world. Fury won the championship and even sang in the ring to his wife afterwards but soon after it became his biggest battle. Fury fell into a spiral of depression, self-loathing and paranoia. He took to drinking and drugs, was stripped of his titles and ballooned to 28 stone. He speaks openly about how he thought those closest to him were out to kill him and even wanted to take his own life. 

There is a great image that Fury has himself pinned to his social media and mental health charities, he is standing in the ring with all the heavyweight titles in his grasp but the caption above states ‘ Never judge someone by their exterior look. I looked on top of the world but inside I was dying’.

Fury is now winning his battle with mental health, he has changed his lifestyle, he trains everyday, campaigns and donates to charities about mental health, alcoholism and homelessness. Fury gave himself the goal of losing all the weight he had gained and to become heavyweight champion again. A battle that has been successful, which completed a scary but important part of the life of Tyson Fury and in the analogy of his first fight with Deontay Wilder, Fury was lying on the canvas, not knowing what the next chapter was but with the help of his friends and family and doing the one thing that is so important in these situations, talking to them about his struggles, he has risen from canvas and is now once again heavyweight champion of the world. If winning the world title was at the time Fury’s greatest achievement, knocking out his demons, returning to the ring and winning again surpassed it and I for one can honestly say, I respect him so much for.

If you are struggling with mental health, however big or small. Please speak to someone, whether it be a friend, teacher, colleague or any of the many mental health charities that are now supporting people. We want more success stories like Tyson Fury’s and it starts by talking to someone.

Thank you.