Wednesday 20 December 2017 14:03, UK
Tyson Fury's new trainer Ben Davison has explained how their relationship was inspired by a discussion about how to beat Anthony Joshua.
Fury is free to fight again pending the renewal of his licence but will no longer have his uncle and former trainer Peter Fury, who oversaw his win against Wladimir Klitschko, in the corner.
Davison has now revealed that he bonded with Fury over their mutual game-plan to dethrone Joshua.
"That was one of the things. When me and Tyson had a chat, he wanted to see my pattern of thinking. I wanted to see his," Davison exclusively told Sky Sports.
"We both know what needs to be done to beat the other so-called top heavyweight out there."
Fury met Davison via Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO middleweight champion, in a Marbella training retreat earlier this year.
"Billy Joe wanted to bring Tyson over to Marbella to give him some structure," Davison said. "Tyson asked me, at the time, if I'd train him for his comeback. I told him to take his time [with a decision] because he had a lot of success with his uncle Peter. Tyson was adamant this was the decision he wanted, and I could see he was hungry for it.
"We gelled straight away. He felt like it was what he wanted. We're the same age so we have a laugh but business is business. When it's time to work, we work.
"Tyson is very easy to work with because he doesn't argue, complain or want an easy way out. Whatever I say we do, we do."
Fury's first fight since ending Klitschko's world title reign two years ago is slated for the first half of 2018.
"We have a rough date, April or May, and a full training camp will commence very soon," Davison said. "He has to make weight, look good, feel good, be fit and strong, be mentally prepared - it is an all-round package and that is what a training camp will bring.
"We are training twice a day, he is eating clean, his weight has come down, and he is making progress with his body fat stats. You have to measure it because if you keep him flat-out for too long he might burn out.
"We need to get weight off, but that's not the end of the world. The motivation and skills are still there.
We need to get weight off, but that's not the end of the world. The motivation and skills are still there.
"We all know what Tyson can do. But I thought: 'can he do this?' He might have to do different things against different opponents. Tyson can do it all.
"He can fight orthodox, he can box orthodox, he can fight southpaw, he can box southpaw. He can box off the back foot, he can box coming forward. He can counter-punch. He has genuinely got it all."
Fury will maintain a strict training regime through Christmas, Davison insisted.
"Of course, he has to. I'll only give him Christmas Day off. He is very disciplined - if a fighter is in camp for too long, it burns them out. I don't push too hard on some things. A car can't be flat-out for too long because it will run out of petrol. After Christmas, we will be 100 per cent full-blown, no messing about."
