Tyson Fury has claimed he will “train alone” for his comeback fight, as he prepares to emerge from retirement for the fifth time.
On 11 April, Fury will box Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the former heavyweight champion and the Russian held a press conference on Monday.
And after the press conference for the Netflix fight, a host for DAZN put it to Fury that he “might be adding” to his team.
Fury, 37, responded with a reference to Mr T’s character in Rocky III, saying: “Yeah, I’m like Clubber Lang, I’m gonna train alone. I’m gonna train alone.”
Heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis, who was offering punditry for DAZN, chimed in, “Well, he’s been through it so many times, he knows what to do,” before Fury explained his thinking.
“I know how to do it, I know how to go 12 rounds, I know how to push myself when I need to, and I know how to take a rest when I need to.”
When Fury returned to boxing in 2018, following a two-year hiatus, he did so with Ben Davison in his corner. Davison coached the “Gypsy King” to wins over Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta, Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin, and a draw against Deontay Wilder.
Fury then switched trainers for his second bout with Wilder, and Sugarhill Steward guided the Briton to a stoppage win and the WBC heavyweight title in 2020. With Sugarhill in his corner, Fury stopped Wilder again in 2021, and a knockout of Dillian Whyte followed.
That gave way to a close shave against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, whom Fury narrowly outpointed, before he suffered two decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
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Fury’s latest retirement ensued, and now fans wait to see if he will really fight Makhmudov, 36, without a coach, or whether he was simply having fun.
The Briton has been training in Thailand as he prepares to put his 34-2-1 (24 KOs) record on the line against Makhmudov, who is 21-2 (19 KOs).
“I thought he’s a good opponent, he’s a dangerous opponent,” Fury told The Independent and other publications on Monday. “If they’d have said I was going to fight some random person no one’s heard of, then that wouldn’t have turned me on, so I wouldn’t have even been interested.
“But considering I’ve got a No 5-ranked WBA heavyweight, who’s known to the British public because he just had a good fight with Dave Allen… and he wrestles bears for fun, and he’s as big as me, and as ugly as me, [it] makes him a very worthy adversary.”
