Matt Floyd, the Australian boxer with a troubled past, has spoken exclusively to Mail Sport about his ongoing negotiations for a high-profile fight with Tommy Fury.
Floyd explained how his representatives have been in talks with Spencer Brown, Tyson Fury’s manager, and Mams Taylor, the co-president of KSI’s boxing promotion Misfits, about finalising the fight.
Standing at six feet tall with a professional record of 15 wins and 1 loss, Floyd is confident he can secure most high-profile bout of his career. But his battle began long before he ever stepped into the ring.
Floyd’s past is marked by harrowing experiences that shaped the man he would become. His early years were spent in and out of foster care, bouncing between homes before finding himself in a horrific situation at just 10 years old.
In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport, he said: ‘I was in and out of foster care when I was younger. I was living with lots of different families and ended up being with one of the biggest paedophile families in Perth when I was about 10 years old.
‘I was the oldest kid in the house at the time and ended up running away after six months. About a year later, they all got done (caught by the police). It was a really big thing over here in Australia.’
Australian fighter Matt Floyd started fighting long before his battles began in the ring
The boxer is now in the spotlight after talking up a potential meeting with Tommy Fury in March
Floyd’s childhood was a nightmare, and the trauma of those years lingered long after he escaped. He still grapples with feelings of guilt, despite now understanding that he was a victim in that situation.
‘Obviously now as an adult I understand I wasn’t a coward,’ Floyd continued. ‘But, the problem is, when you are a kid you have these traumas and you can’t control how you think because of them. I know now that none of what happened was my fault but I felt like it was when I was younger.
‘I’ll give you an example. When I was a kid and they would make me do things, you actually think you’re the one in the wrong. You think you are the one molesting the other kids when you’re 10. But, you’re just a kid yourself. But, that’s how it makes you feel in the moment. You feel like you’re doing something wrong and it’s awful.
‘I felt like I was doing the wrong stuff. I was hurting the other kids. I was a coward for running away and getting myself out of that situation, leaving them there. I know now as an adult I wasn’t, I was just a little boy who was forced to do this and that. But, I still felt it and I can’t escape it today.’
These formative years left deep scars on Floyd, and the trauma would drive many of his later decisions. He ended up choosing a path that would lead to violent retribution against those he saw as predators.
As a young man, Floyd became fixated on taking down predators—those who, like the ones from his past, preyed on children. He gathered a group of like-minded individuals and took matters into his own hands, staging operations to confront and expose paedophiles.
‘We were probably the first people who started doing stuff like this. There are people online now with cameras and stuff but we weren’t doing it like that. We were just grabbing them,’ he said.
‘We had this really smart guy in our group who would pretend to be a kid… We would pretend our friend was a kid and would lure the paedophiles out. We would be covered up and we would have all the evidence against them so if they were going to call the police on us, we had all this evidence against them.
Standing at six feet tall, Floyd has 15 professional wins and one loss to his name in his career
‘They’d also be there talking to a kid now who wasn’t a kid anymore so the police would see that. When we found them, we wouldn’t do anything bad… We just really wanted to scare them to death. I wanted them to think they were going to die.’
Floyd’s motivation for these acts was rooted in a desire for justice, but it eventually led him down a dangerous road. He was arrested for kidnapping and assault after a confrontation with a known paedophile that escalated to the point where the police intervened. Floyd claims the police had set him up, but the law didn’t look kindly on his actions, and he was sentenced to prison.
‘I ended up going to prison for kidnapping a paedophile. I had this guy at the house and I wouldn’t leave the room. The cops ended up coming in and arresting me but they actually set me up. The guy had already been done for paedophilia. He was a registered paedophile. He got done for raping a 12 year old girl three times.
‘When he got done, the police offered him a deal. They said hey do you want to work for us and we’ll give you a discount. So, this guy came to my gym where I was taking people off the streets if they had an addiction or issues and helping them reform.
‘He told me he used to be on drugs and that he needed help, etc. I got him in the gym and then I ended up finding out he was paedophile. I went to this house, which was all camera-ed-up to confront him.
‘When I got there, I wouldn’t let him leave the room because I wanted to know about what he had done to the 12 year old girl. He admitted to other stuff, like his sister and all sorts.
‘Every time he went to leave the room I wouldn’t let him leave. I would hit him or keep him on the bed. But, then the police came running in and grabbed me. That’s why I ended up going to prison for kidnapping and assault.
‘They wanted me because of other things like being a leader of a gang but they couldn’t get me for that so they put me in prison for this instead. I did about two and half years before being sentenced to five and a half years.’
Floyd committed to boxing after spending time in prison and finding the clarity he needed
His time behind bars, however, did not break him. Instead, it became a turning point, ultimately leading him to boxing and helping others that had experienced the same trauma.
But, before his imprisonment, Floyd had become a leader in a local biker gang, a position that he achieved at the young age of 22. Known for his toughness and street smarts, Floyd quickly rose to power, a role that would eventually become part of his redemption narrative.
‘The gang I joined was a bikers club. It’s the same thing as a gang, it’s just a different name. They ride bikes. I never even rode a bike but ended up in the gang. I could fight really well and they liked me because I grew up on the streets. I was made a leader pretty fast… I was probably the youngest ever from where I’m from, so I had that big name for being this ruthless person.’
But Floyd’s incarceration also provided the clarity he needed. As he rebuilt his life, boxing became the key to his future. Upon his release, he began training seriously and became a professional boxer, determined to change his life and set a better example for others.
Now, as a successful boxer, Floyd uses his platform to give back to the community, particularly to troubled teenagers. Having been through so much himself, he understands the importance of mentorship and strives to help young people avoid the pitfalls that derailed his own life.
‘I focus on 15, 16-years-olds. You know, the teenage years because I remember that’s when I needed help the most. Until this day, I’ve never really had the help I need myself. I have never had a father role model.
‘There is about a 1 percent chance of an adult being able to change their ways. I am that one percent. I know for teenagers, there is a 50/50 percent chance they can turn their lives around and I want to help them do that. I reckon if I get 100 kids at my gym, 100 of them change their lives and I’ve seen it.’
This drive to inspire others through his own example remains at the core of Floyd’s boxing journey. His ultimate goal isn’t wealth or fame, but to prove to young people, especially those who’ve faced hardship, that change is possible.
Floyd will look to hand Tommy Fury the first professional defeat of his career if they meet
The Love Island star last stepped into the ring in October 2023 to do battle with YouTuber KSI
Fury swerved a meeting with Darren Till after his opponent declared that he would use MMA tactics if the bout went south
‘I don’t care about the money. You can keep the money, I just want to show the boys at my gym that this can be done. I want to fight the best in the world and show these boys that you can go from jail and through what I’ve been through to succeed.
‘You see all the time that famous people only fight famous people, billionaires only fight billionaires, no one’s actually been given a Rocky Balboa shot and I want to show the kids it can f***ing happen. They’ve all seen me do this on my own and it motivates them to do it too.’
Today, Floyd’s sights are set on a showdown with Tommy Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Floyd revealed to Mail Sport that discussions over a March bout are taking place.
After more than a year out of competition, it was announced in December that Fury would take on former UFC title challenger Darren Till in a bout scheduled for January 18.
The fight would have marked Fury’s first fight since defeating KSI in a lacklustre decision in Manchester in 2023. However, the fight was called off after Fury pulled out.
Misfits co-president Mams Taylor claimed last month that talks were underway to find a new fight for Fury. While Floyd took to social media to claim he was due to fight the 25-year-old next.
Fury is currently estranged from his former fiancee, Love Island star and influencer Molly Mae
When asked by Mail Sport whether contact had been made with Fury or his team, he said: ‘There has definitely contact between my team and Tommy Fury’s team. Big Francis isn’t someone who mucks around.
‘He is Jai Opetaia’s manager and he’s managed a lot of big names. He’s now looking after me. He’s been in contact with Tyson Fury’s manager Spencer Brown. He’s good mates with Spencer and he’s been on the phone with him.
‘He was literally talking to him a few hours ago. He forwarded me a message from Kalle, the guy who runs MisFits, and he said we’re gonna talk about your man down under tomorrow or next week – referring to me.’
Floyd went on to add: ‘This Tommy Fury thing has been a rollercoaster. It’s giving me a headache. It’s been like week and weeks. I don’t understand all of this bulls***. So, he got involved. He’s like, I can’t 100 per cent guarantee you Tommy Fury but I will get you on that fight. You’ll be fighting someone.’
