A man has paid tribute to former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury by getting a large tattoo of Fury's face on the back of his neck.
Gary Lloyd, a barista from Liverpool, tweeted a photo of the finished product and its earlier iteration without the added crown, tagging Fury and writing: "Just had the tattoo finished champ."
While Gary - who also has tattoos of Stephen Hawking, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Albert Einstein, Michio Kaku and Rio Ferdinand - has received some 'negative reaction and abuse' online for the new ink, he's proud of the artwork and the story behind it, having told LADbible he was inspired to get the tattoo after struggling with mental health issues.
Advert
Gary, who is in his thirties, said: "No matter how much I fought mentally I could not seem to find the inspiration to drag myself out of the hole.
"But as a casual boxing fan, seeing Tyson Fury come back after a two year lay off and lose over eight stone inspired me to get in shape myself and finally address my health.
"I went on a strict low carb diet consisting mostly of fish and rice six times per day, got back in the gym and on the road and managed to lose over three stone in the space of four months."
Saying Fury has 'huge credit' for getting his own life back on track, Gary continued: "I got the tattoo started when the Fury vs Wilder fight was announced.
Advert
"In all honesty I never expected Tyson to win that fight, given the considerable lay off. But after Tyson got the draw and shocked the world to retain his lineal world title, the crown was added.
"I wasn't happy with the hairline as it was, so the tattooist came up with the suggestion. The whole process took around 25 hours in total spread over six sessions."
Gary didn't want to disclose the cost of the tattoo or the name of the artist, due to the negative backlash he's received online - with some people tweeting to say it looked 'horrendous' and telling him to 'go fight his tattoo artist'.
Advert
However, he did tell us he'd had 'positive' feedback from his friends and family, who understand its significance.
Speaking of the backlash, he said: "Artwork is subjective, so it doesn't really bother me.
"My boyfriend loves it so that's all that matters to me, the rest of the criticism I can take on the chin! (No pun intended). I'd also like to thank a few special friends for the support - Paul, Ant, Michael, Scott, Verity, Jake, Rhi, Graham, 'Stig' and Julia."
Gary's getting some support online too, with one Twitter user telling him: "Nice one... Haters gonna hate."
Advert
Amen to that, I say.
UOKM8? is a campaign by LADbible, featuring films and stories that provide advice and inspiration on mental health. Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Let's talk mental health.
MIND: 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans: 116 123.
Advert
CALM: Outside London 0808 802 5858, inside London 0800 58 58 58.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Gary LloydTopics: UK News, Entertainment, Celebrity, News, Tattoo
