Tyson Fury’s first boxing coach, Dave Stacey, has passed away at the age of 85.
Stacey taught Fury the fundamentals of boxing at Torbay Amateur Boxing Club in Devon and started training him when he moved in with family in the South West.
Stacey trained Fury when he was starting out in boxing[/caption]
After his parents separated, Fury spent a lot of time with his aunt and uncle in Torquay, which is where his boxing journey began.
“They helped me learn how to read and write,” he said in an early interview.
“I went swimming and surfing. The first gym I went to was in Torquay.
“My dad would hold up his hands and say ‘one-two’ but that was all. He never said he wanted me to box or took me to the gym.
“He didn’t even know when I first started going to the gym.”
Fury was a 6ft-tall teenager when he first walked into Stacey’s gym but went on the become a two-time heavyweight world champion in the proceeding years.
Recalling the moment he met Fury, Stacey said: “This young boy turned up on his own one night and asked to train with us.
“He was a big lad, I’d say nearly 6ft tall then. We didn’t turn away boys who wanted to train.
“Although he never boxed for us, he kept coming to train and spar for about six months, and then his family must have moved on.
“I didn’t remember much about him, because I treat everyone the same and there were lots of other boys to look after.”
Years later, Stacey and Fury were reunited at a show in Blackpool, where ‘The Gypsy King’ was a guest of honour.
“He presented our boy with a prize, realised where he was from and said ‘I trained at your club when I was a kid’,” added Stacey.
“Our lad told him ‘And the guy who trained you is stood over there’, and then Tyson came over, shook my hand and thanked me.
“It was nice of him to come over and speak to me because there were lots of other people wanting to talk to him.”
Stacey helped shape the careers of several other successful pros including former WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison.
In 2014, he received a local lifetime achievement award for his work in boxing and was well respected in his community.
Dave’s daughter Nicole led tributes after his death, saying of her father: “First and foremost, he was a real family man and was always very proud to tell other people that he felt like the luckiest man in the world to be a husband and father and we really felt that love.
“He was a very loyal person and would do absolutely anything for us. People would always describe him as a real character and he was unashamedly himself.
“He had the ability to talk to anyone and put them at ease.
“If there was a setback of any kind he wouldn’t dwell on it, he would tell people how he felt, pick himself up and take the challenge on. I suppose that’s the boxing mentality and focus.”
Torbay ABC also released a short statement on their Facebook page reading: “Torbay ABC are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Dave Stacey, a highly regarded coach for the club.
“RIP Dave you were a true legend.”
