Tyson Fury coming to New Zealand for Joseph Parker heavyweight title defense

Tyson Fury (Getty file)
Tyson Fury (Getty file)

It's going to be a bona fide family affair when Hughie Fury and his camp come to Auckland to attempt to dethrone WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker.

Tyson Fury, one of the biggest names in boxing and a former undisputed heavyweight champion, will be accompanying Hughie and both his father and trainer, Peter, to make their bid for a belt in May.

The troubled fighter, who voluntarily relinquished his title after ongoing personal issues including battles with substance abuse, has been heavily involved in his cousin's preparations to date and will be front and centre in support when he squares off against Parker.

"Tyson Fury will be coming to Auckland," Peter Fury told Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes on Sunday Sport.

"He's in the gym with Hughie as we speak, he's very actively involved in it and he'll be making the trip to support me and his cousin."

Although detail surrounding location and venue is yet to be officially announced by promoters Duco, Fury's camp is working towards the premise that Auckland will be their destination for a scheduled fight on the originally mooted date of May 6th.

"I don’t know what Duco Events are doing over there. As far as we know the fight is on, and it's happening on the sixth of May in New Zealand, Fury told RadioLIVE.

Fury insists they're well aware of Parker's prowess and are paying him every respect in their preparations, going as far as to say he believes the South Aucklander is another level above the highly touted WBC champion, American Deontay Wilder.

"I don't give hype, it's genuine. He's right up there.

"I'd pick Joseph Parker to beat Deontay Wilder tomorrow, and he's the WBC champion. That's my genuine opinion. I don't think Wilder's fought anyone as good as Parker."

Despite not having fought in almost 12 months, Fury is adamant ring rust is of no concern and won’t have any bearing on the contest's outcome.

"Hughie's a real professional. He may not have been regular fighting but he's been in the gym daily, he's been sparring all the time. It's not going to make any difference on the night.

"It's a going to be a very exciting fight between two very, very good young heavyweights."

As for Tyson's future, Fury was confident it would only be a matter of four to six months before the 'Gypsy King' makes his return to the ring, with a view to a potential title challenge late in 2017.

"I think the rest has done him good, it's taken the pressure off him and I think he's getting that desire back. I can see he's getting his old rhythm back.

"He's had treatment now and he's a lot better. Tyson's a fighter, he can't really live without boxing.

"He's not lost a fraction of his charisma, I'll tell you that. He's a larger than life personality.

"He'll be back. One hundred percent, he'll be back."

For the extended interview tune into Sunday Sport with Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes on RadioLIVE from 2pm.

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