Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world when he defeated champion Wladimir Klitschko three years ago.

However, the following year was not about defending their IBF-WBA and WBO titles.

Instead of facing various heavyweight contenders, the 31-year-old British had to go a long, difficult and tough match against himself. Drug and alcohol abuse caused him to suffer from mental health problems. In an interview with the news agency Reuters, the boxer says that he has "known about death" and was thinking about suicide.

"A second chance"

- I've been to hell and turned around, but now I've had a second chance in life, says Fury about the time which also meant he got rid of his master belts.

- I managed to turn my life away from weighing 190 kg and have daily thoughts on taking my life back to the top of my weight class. To have almost felt death and now be back on this level, it is a blessing.

Although Fury eventually managed to win the match against himself, he has far from relinquished the fight against mental illness. Nowadays, he shares his time in the training room with giving lectures and helping others feel better.

- I do as much as I can to help others who need it and to spread knowledge about mental health, because everyone deserves a second chance, he says.

Meets Wallin

Tyson Fury was back in the ring on June 9, 2018 and won directly against the Albanian Sefer Seferi. Since then, he has won three more matches - and now almost a meeting with Swedish Otto Wallin in Las Vegas is waiting for September 14.

But even though the boxing career is back where it was before the title meeting with Wladimir Klitschko, the Englishman says that his mental health problems are constantly lurking in the background.

- My long-term goal is to be happy, feel good and be healthy. Anything beyond that is a bonus. For nothing is guaranteed in life, nothing is promised. We are not even promised to experience tomorrow, we must live and enjoy every moment we get, says Tyson Fury.