Tyson Fury v Mariusz Wach: Briton takes aim at modern-day sports stars - BBC

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Tyson Fury used a news conference in Pattaya, Thailand, to defend his decision to take a low-key bout in front of about 1,500 spectators, saying many leading athletes and celebrities overestimate their own status. The 37-year-old former heavyweight world champion is scheduled to fight 46-year-old Polish boxer Mariusz Wach on Friday.

The contest is unusual for Fury because it will not be shown live on television. According to the BBC, it will instead be included in the third series of the Netflix documentary “At Home with the Furys.” Promoter Spencer Brown said the event was arranged on three weeks’ notice after Fury chose to fight in Thailand, where he holds training camps, and that ticket profits will go to a local charity supporting disadvantaged children and students with disabilities.

The fight is also being treated as a step toward a long-discussed all-British meeting between Fury and Anthony Joshua. BBC Sport says contracts have already been signed for that bout, expected later this year, but the venue has not been confirmed. Joshua must first come through his own warm-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia the day after Fury faces Wach.

Fury insisted he was not looking beyond Wach and argued that his opponent is a tougher challenge than Prenga. He also criticised current heavyweight titleholders Agit Kabayel, Murat Gassiev and Daniel Dubois, saying they had not earned belts in the way he did. Wach said he intends to disrupt plans for Fury-Joshua by causing an upset.