Fury begins his quest for legendary status against Seferi

In the build-up to his comeback fight this weekend, Tyson Fury has been keen to emphasise his happiness, fitness and focus, as you might expect. But he has also expended plenty of words exalting the skills of his opponent, Sefer Seferi.

The usual trash talk that accompanies boxing has been nowhere to be seen. With Fury occupying the spotlight centre-stage, his Albanian opponent has been relegated to the shadows, leaving it to the former heavyweight champion to big him up.

Seferi, who has a record of 23 wins and one loss in his career, has been described by Fury as being a “good looking man” and a "dangerous puncher” with a “lions heart”. But having spent his entire career bar one fight competing at cruiserweight, and being nearly a foot shorter and about five stone lighter than his opponent, he has the odds stacked against him.

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Some bookmakers have Fury as short as 1-500 to win, giving Saturday nights fight at Manchester Arena the air of what it is: something to whet the appetite.

Fury has been away from the ring for so long that curiosity is bound to be strong. Saturday will mark 924 days since he dramatically claimed the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in his last fight, against Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.

In the two years and eight months since that famous night in Dusseldorf he has battled depression, drug addiction and alcoholism, as well as gaining and losing seven and a half stone in weight.

With the help of his family and trainer Ben Davison he has reached the point where he says he feels the best he ever has.

“I feel sharper now and more powerful,” the 29-year-old said at the pre-fight press conference. “I fell out of love with the game but now the love is thriving. You're going to see the best Tyson Fury you have ever seen.”

Fight No26 will surely bring win No26 for Fury. The question is: what happens next? While he says hes focused solely on Seferi, his own words suggest otherwise.

Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko by a unanimous points decision in November 2015 (Source: Getty)

“If Im as good as I think I am, then I should be able to beat them all,” he said. “If I cant win against Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Sefer Seferi and whoever else wants to fight, then I will say I never was any good and I should never have been boxing.”

After a long road back Fury is searching for acceptance. His quest for legendary status wont be bolstered by knocking out Seferi on Saturday; its Joshua and Wilder who hold the belts and the prestige he seeks.

“In order for my career to be defined, and to be a good champion, and to be looked upon as a legend of my era I have to beat both of them,” he stated. “I want to win all the belts back and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world again.”

Comebacks are nothing new in boxing. Fury has compared himself to Sugar Ray Leonard, while Davison prefers Muhammad Ali. But Seferi is no Marvin Hagler or Joe Frazier and Fury knows the hard graft will come over the following 18 months.

Hes been to the top before suffering a fall and sparring partner Tom Little believes the Lancastrian has learnt from his mistakes.

“I think hes come to terms with the fact it takes more than just boxing to be champion of the world,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Youve got a big label, youre an idol for people.”

Seferi is the first step to earning the label which Fury craves.

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CityAM

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