Fury says ‘best yet to come’ ahead of Thailand fight

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British boxer Tyson Fury insisted on Wednesday that “the best is yet to come” ahead of a charity fight in Thailand, a warm-up to his long-awaited clash with Anthony Joshua.

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“I don’t feel like the world’s seen the best Tyson Fury yet,” said the former two-time world heavyweight champion, who turns 38 next month.

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Fury was speaking at an event in the Thai resort of Pattaya to promote his charity fight on Friday against Mariusz Wach, a 46-year-old Pole dubbed “The Viking”.

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The fight in the 1,500-seat Max Muay Thai Stadium is widely viewed as a warm-up to the much-anticipated clash with fellow Briton Joshua expected later this year.

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But Fury said he did not want to talk about the Joshua fight, instead focusing on his presence in Thailand and saying that it left him feeling “rejuvenated”.

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“I’ve been over here since December — beautiful place, beautiful people, great training facilities,” he said.

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“I feel at peace with everything, where before I had a lot of pressure on me… the rain wasn’t good, I think I thrive better in obviously warmer climates.”

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Fury marked his return from a 16-month retirement with a dominant points win over Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov in April.

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He was scheduled to fight in Dublin on August 1, but said the opportunity arose to fight in Thailand “for a good cause”.

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Proceeds from Friday’s fight will go to a charity supporting underprivileged children in Pattaya.

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The venue is smaller than those Fury is used to, and the fight won’t be broadcast live on television but will be recorded for his Netflix television series.

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Fury said he had “earned the right” to do what he wanted.

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“Whoever I want to fight, from any sport, I can make that fight happen. Because I’m the Gypsy King, I do what I want,” he said.

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He said his fights were “not about the money”.

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“I’m boxing because I want to stay match fit and I enjoy doing it.”

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Born into a family of Irish Traveller heritage in Wythenshawe in the Manchester suburbs, Fury turned pro in 2008.

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He famously dethroned long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, and is known for his exceptional speed despite his towering size of 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 metres).

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Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, will fight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

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It will be his first return to the ring since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends.

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