TYSON FURY'S dad John was forced to take a FOUR-YEAR break from boxing after suffering a brutal knockout.

Back in 1991 Gypsy John Fury was put in against up-and-coming heavyweight Henry Akinwande.

It was always going to be a tough contest, with Akinwande unbeaten in 11 with seven KO's after a glittering amateur career.

And so it proved for the dad of the current WBC heavyweight champion.

Akinwande delivered a huge right hand that landed right on the button in the third round of their fight in Manchester.

Fury was sent crashing to the canvas with his head ending up resting on the bottom rope.

The referee gave the ten count, but clearly Fury was never getting back to his feet to continue.

But the aftermath of that KO was all the more shocking.

Fury didn't return to the boxing ring for FOUR years as he battled the demons of the devastating stoppage loss.

He returned in 1995, going up against a man he had beaten in his second ever fight, Steve Garber.

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But this went horribly differently, and Fury was KO'd in the fourth round.

At the age of 32, Big John called it quits – but it was that loss to Akinwande that effectively ended his career.

It was by no means an embarrassing defeat, however.

Akinwande went on to with the WBO heavyweight world title in 1996 when he stopped Jeremy Williams in the third round of their bout in America.

In 1997 he fought fellow Brit Lennox Lewis but was disqualified in the seventh round for repeated holding in a terrible scrap.

Fury, meanwhile, finished his career on eight wins, four losses and one draw.

The 57-year-old is now part of his son Tyson's team – where things are going somewhat better than how his own pro boxing career ended.

Tyson defends his WBC heavyweight world title against Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley.