In the sweltering heat of Pattaya, Thailand, a training camp is underway.
Moving between local gyms, embracing the harsh climate to reach peak conditioning and preparing for a long-awaited return to the ring, Tyson Fury—aka the Gypsy King—appears at peace when I speak with him over Zoom. Happy and fulfilled by his time away, yet eager to reignite a sense of excitement which he believes boxing has been missing, the draw of Fury remains undeniable. One of the few fighters to really shift the needle in this era, he is now back in the mix—and his return comes at a moment of transition in the heavyweight division.
The generation that defined this era is approaching its curtain call, and for Fury, a bout with Arslanbek Makhmudov marks the beginning of the final stretch in a truly generational career. The current era of boxing began with the fall of the Klitschko brothers, who had dominated the heavyweight division from the early 2000s through to the mid-2010s. A much younger Tyson Fury ended that reign with a masterful victory over Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko, reshaping the division in the process. At every stage, Fury outclassed him, mentally draining him in the build-up, outboxing him in the ring, even serenading the crowd afterward with “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith.
Fury helped to reignite the heavyweight division, ushering in a genuine paradigm shift. A new wave of fighters restored intrigue and competitiveness, opening pathways to long-awaited superfights. Among them, Anthony Joshua rose rapidly following Olympic gold, while established contenders such as Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder strengthened their legacies. With the Klitschko era over and Fury absent for two and a half years, these fighters seized their moment, collectively defining a vibrant new chapter.
Over a decade later, this era approaches its swansong. Fury has shaped many of its defining moments: becoming lineal champion, headlining Saudi-backed spectacles against Francis Ngannou, and, most memorably, defeating Wilder twice after a powerful comeback from mental health struggles. Recently, Chisora and Wilder—former Fury rivals—met in a high-stakes bout, with Wilder edging a split decision, reviving belief in his abilities while pushing Chisora toward retirement. New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, meanwhile, suffered a damaging loss against Fabio Wardley, who now faces Daniel Dubois.
And now, a new generation is emerging. Kent’s own Moses Itauma continues his knockout rise, while Oleksandr Usyk edges closer to retirement with key fights still ahead, including a potential clash with Rico Verhoeven. Anthony Joshua is rebuilding, and Fury has returned—eyeing Arslanbek Makhmudov and a possible superfight with Joshua. As Tyson Fury jokes about yet another “retirement”, this final phase feels like a transition point: one era closing as the next prepares to make its mark.
Complex UK caught up with the Gypsy King to see what’s next for boxing’s shifting landscape.
COMPLEX: How are you, Tyson?
Tyson Fury: I’m very good, thanks! Very good.
After a break from fighting, how’s it been getting back into training? And what’s it like being part of a training camp in Thailand?
Beautiful. It’s good weather here every day. You wake up in paradise! Palm trees everywhere, good sunshine, good food, good training facilities, good sparring partners. Everything is going really well. Zero complaints from me.
At this stage of your career, how do you mentally prepare yourself for a fight?
Same as I always do: get myself into that fuck a motherfucker up mode!
I’ve watched your career unfold, and it’s been just over a decade since you defeated Wladimir Klitschko to become the lineal champion. I think I speak for much of the boxing world when I say we’re thrilled to see you happy, fulfilled, and a champion for mental health. Over these years, what would you say has changed? What has led you to become the Tyson Fury we see today?
I think becoming a father multiple times, and all that comes with it, changed me more than anything else. You go from being someone in your twenties to someone in your late thirties, and you gain a load of experience, face all kinds of trials and tribulations, and grow as a person. But that’s just life. I’m not talking about anything else, just life.
In the days of those fights with Derrick Chisora and Wladimir Klitschko, how did you see boxing as a sport and industry compared to now, with the injection of the likes of Riyadh Season, DAZN and Netflix?
It’s a totally different game now. Years ago, boxing was already a big sport. Go back to the days of Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey—heavyweight champions have always been a major deal. From around 2015, right up until the Saudis got involved with events like the Riyadh Season in 2023, boxing has seen major fights. But these new investments have taken it to the next level. The scale and backing have been massive, enabling all the big fights people have wanted to see, and continuing to do so. It’s been absolutely fantastic for boxing, and I believe it’s put the sport on a completely different, major level.
You recently spoke with Gareth A. Davies, and one thing he mentioned really stood out: he described you as a catalyst for the evolution of boxing. How do you currently see the future of the sport, and have there been any moments recently that made you think about where boxing is headed?
I think boxing is in a very healthy place right now. There are always competitive rival promoters and fight teams, and that rivalry is crucial for the sport. Recently, we’ve seen a lot of back-and-forth between promoters trying to get under each other’s skin, and I think that’s very healthy for boxing. The only thing that I think sucks a bit is that we don’t have any real top American television for boxing. In the UK, we have the BBC and Sky doing strong coverage, but in the States, networks like ESPN, HBO and Showtime—which were once synonymous with boxing—aren’t really investing in it anymore. That’s something that’s always been a big part of the sport’s visibility.
It’s going to be interesting to see where the American boxing scene goes, because the British boxing scene is on fire and the Europeans are doing well. But, usually, if the American fight team is doing really well, then the rest of the world benefits from it all. In my opinion, America should always have a world heavyweight champion—at least one. A lot of the big guys aren’t going into heavyweight boxing anymore; they’re going into football, basketball, baseball—anything but boxing. There’s thin ice in the U.S. right now. I think that’s the biggest point for me. The biggest catalyst is this: when is the next American world heavyweight king going to come, and where is he going to come from?
That’s such a good point. America has led the way in boxing throughout its history, but now its stars are spread all around the world—for instance, Inoue in Japan.
The fight capital of the world is still Las Vegas; it’s gotta be! When I found out about fights at the MGM Grand and T-Mobile Arena against Deontay Wilder, sometimes I had to pinch myself thinking, “Is this really real? Am I really here?” Being announced as “from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA” felt surreal.
I know you’re a Manchester United fan, and recently your team has found itself grounded under Michael Carrick. But I wondered: while you’re in fight mode, do you even get to care about football?
See, I’m a statistics guy. I’m a numbers person. I like to see who’s winning, who’s lost, what’s going on, who’s doing what. So I keep an eye on the football and all the boxing results. But I don’t really watch it when I’m in camp; I’m just focused on what I’ve got to do myself.
What about music? Every time you step into the ring, you’re a showman. There’s always a spectacle with everything that comes together to parade the fight. So in fight mode, is music still a part of your life?
Oh, for sure. Mate, the playlists we’ve got are crazy. We’ve got everything on there. Music’s been a massive part of my life—it’s almost brought me up. Sometimes I catch myself and realise my vocabulary is still spitting things I heard from rap songs twenty years ago. It’s definitely a huge part of who I am. I’ve been so well travelled, met so many different cultures and heard so many types of music, I’m into everything.
Who are your top three artists right now?
In the gym, when we’re training, we listen to a lot of old-school hip-hop. So all the greats: 50 Cent, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. Proper motivational music!
On April 12—a day after the fight—the second season of At Home With The Fury’s comes out on Netflix. It’s a show that’s been praised for its contrast between reality TV and real conversations about mental health. What has making such a show taught you, if anything, about yourself and your family?
I knew it was all crazy, but watching it back on TV makes me realise how crazy we really all are [laughs]. Season 2 is out on April 12th, yeah—the day after the fight—and Netflix have said it’s even better than season one, so we’re hoping for a massive viewing audience. It’s a real insight into me going up and down with my mental health and trying to manage everything. Me and my missus arguing, the kids fighting and trying to actually kill each other… It’s crazy!
What has fascinated you about the boxing world while you’ve been gone?
I’ve been fascinated by how quickly my division has become stagnant again since I stepped away from boxing. I’ve only been retired a year, but it’s already gone back to being a bit boring. It only really comes alive when I do something big—a press conference, a fight, anything a bit wild. It feels like a massive show gets put together whenever I’m involved. But when I’m not there, it’s almost like it loses that spark. You’ve just got two guys in suits talking shite at a press conference, then you go in and there isn’t much show-business... It’s just a fight, you know? It simple becomes a sport again. But whenever I’m fighting, it’s always a show. It has that entertainment factor.
Lastly, I think I speak for the whole boxing fandom when I say we’d love to see this era end with a superfight between you and Anthony Joshua. After all these years, what excites you about the possibility of that fight?
We’re both at the tail end of our careers now. We’re both getting a bit long in the tooth for it, so the timing feels right. I just don’t want to rush him into anything given the tragedy he’s recently experienced. I haven’t really said much about it because I want to give him space and time to deal with his personal situation, rather than focus on the business side of things. But I do think it would be a massive shame if me and AJ never fought again. Hopefully this could be the year. He’s coming off a win over Jake Paul, and I’ve got to get a victory over Makhmudov first. Then finally, finally we might be able to make that fight happen. Hopefully, anyway… Fingers crossed!
You can watch Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov on Netflix on Saturday 11th April from 7pm.
