How does Tyson Fury's record compare to Muhammad Ali's after 32 fights?

Not only can Fury talk the talk, but he can also walk the walk. Once considered as a technical fighter who had the speed and agility of a middleweight, Fury now has a reputation as a heavy-hitting fighter under the tutelage of Kronk's SugarHill Steward.

Below, we look at the records of Ali and Fury after 32 professional bouts.

Muhammad Ali 31-1

His first 19 fights went according to plan and he defeated two notable names during a three-year period including Archie Moore and Henry Cooper. Moore was way past his prime when he took to the ring against Clay in 1962 though, having fought 218 times. In today's boxing world, that is unheard of.

Clay would prove too much for Moore, stopping the ex-light heavyweight champion via TKO in the fourth round. 

Fighting at Wembley Stadium next, Clay branded Cooper a 'bum' and promised to stop him in ruthless style in London. Clay was made to eat his own words, however. The American got slammed into the ropes by Cooper and hit the deck in round four from a left hook by the Englishman.

Becoming heavyweight champion

A rematch followed but it was the same outcome, this time in quicker fashion with the contest ending in the opening round. The big talking point was the punch that knocked Liston out - the phantom punch. The debate about whether Liston got hit or took a dive in the fight remains.

Clay went on to defend the titles eight times in 21 months, including another victory over Cooper, Brian London and Zora Folley. 

Return to boxing

After refusing to enter the Vietnam War, Clay - who changed his name to Muhammad Ali - was stripped of his world titles and banned from having a boxing license for over three years in America.

Ali would return in 1970, after losing some of his prime years, won his two comeback fights but would taste the first defeat of his career against Joe Frazier in 1971. The Madison Square Garden event - Ali's 32 contest - was labelled as 'Fight of the Century' and Smokin' Joe outpointed Ali to retain the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles.

Tyson Fury 31-0-1

Not selected for the Olympics - with David Price taking his place instead for Team GB while he was also unable to represent Ireland - Fury started his professional career in 2008 under the guidance of Mick Hennessy, who at the time also promoted Carl Froch.

After reaching 7-0, in 2009 Fury took on John McDermott who was expected to cause him no trouble at this stage of his career. Despite going in as an overwhelming favourite, Fury produced a sloppy performance and in many eyes, he lost the fight. But the scorecards said the opposite and awarded Fury the victory.

Four routine wins moved Fury to 20-0 and the Gypsy King made his American debut next with former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham the opponent. Fury got decked in round two of the IBF heavyweight eliminator but rebounded, using all of his weight and size to tire Cunningham.

In round five, Fury was docked a point for a headbutt, and Cunningham complained throughout the fight about the use of the forearm by the Brit. Fury's dirty tactics would work though as he put the fight to bed in round seven with a ruthless right hand to Cunningham's head.

Dethroning Klitschko

Fury was set to face David Haye next but the former two-division world champion pulled out twice through injury and the fight never happened. It saw Fury lose his spot in the IBF rankings and he was forced to fight Chisora in a rematch. Fury once again dealt with Chisora, stopping him in round 10 and in doing so, he was installed by the WBO as mandatory challenger to Wladimir Klitschko.

In 2015, Fury collided with Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany, for the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. Regarded as having little to no chance of winning on foreign soil, Fury outboxed Klitschko throughout the fight to earn a unanimous decision win to become the new unified champion.

The scorecards read 115-112, 115-112 and 116-112 all in favour of Fury and the result also snapped Klitschko's 11-year dominance in the heavyweight division.

Fury would not fight for another three years following his battle with mental health but when he did return, he had a new set of fans willing him to get back to the top. His comeback fight was a win over Sefer Seferi in 2018 followed by a win in Northern Ireland against Francesco Pianeta.

In the same year, Fury challenged Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title in Los Angeles. Fury outboxed Wilder throughout the fight but had to climb off the canvas twice in rounds five and 12. The final round knockdown is an iconic moment that sees Fury rise off the floor and beat the 10-count after appearing to be unconscious. Remarkably, Fury ended the round stronger but the verdict on the scorecards was a split draw.

Wilder wins

Initial talks with Anthony Joshua ended as Fury was forced to fight Wilder again in a trilogy bout in 2021.

Fury would taste the floor twice in round four but overcame the Bronze Bomber's aggression, tiring him out before knocking him out in the penultimate round. Ring Magazine named it Fight of the Year for 2021.

Fury is looking to extend his unbeaten record to 33 when he takes on Whyte later this month. A win would see him close in on a unification showdown between the winner of Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

Read more: How does Anthony Joshua's record compare to Lewis, Tyson and Holyfield?