Tyson Fury took a lion for a walk in a bid to spook his upcoming opponent Arslanbek Makhmudov.
In a scene reminiscent of Tarzan, Fury sauntered around with the big cat just two weeks before sinking his claws into Makhmudov – who is nicknamed ‘The Lion’.
Fury will face Makhmudov on April 11 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking his return to the sport following 16 months away after his fifth retirement.
It will be the first time he has fought in front of home fans since 2022 and the Ring Magazine event will be streamed live worldwide on Netflix.
‘Good boy, good boy. He’s a good boy, he is. He’s only a little Simba cat,’ said Fury, 37, who kept his distance while holding the lion on a leash.
The Gypsy King is hopefully building towards a megafight with Anthony Joshua but first has to deal with Makhmudov, 36, who has a strong record of 21-2 with 19 knockouts.
Fury has been training in Pattaya, Thailand – where the mercury hits 30C this weekend – in a bid to get back to top form.
His fight night in April is co-headlined by Conor Benn, who is taking on two-time former super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis.
‘I have a massive stacked calendar, minimum three fights this year,’ said Fury.
‘I have to get past this fella and stay on track and performing.
‘There’s plenty of names on the list, but I am not the hunted one anymore, I am the hunter.’
Fury holds a professional record of 34 wins, two losses and one draw, with 24 knockouts. The two defeats on his record came against Oleksandr Usyk.
But his opponent Makhmudov is widely regarded as one of the division’s most dangerous knockout artists.
Dillian Whyte has warned Fury that his comeback contest will be ‘very dangerous,’ telling Sky Sports: ‘At first I thought, easy fight for Fury, very easy fight for Fury – that was my first response. But after going back and watching Makhmudov, I said, “OK, he’s a tough guy, he’s coming off a couple of good wins, and he’s a big puncher.”
‘Fury loses some of his height and reach advantage, which has been a big factor for him in his career, so I think it makes for a very interesting fight.
‘It’s a very, very dangerous fight for Fury. Most boxing fans will say it’s an easy fight for Fury, but I don’t think it’s an easy fight.
‘Fury has also been put down a couple of times by guys he shouldn’t have been put down by and Makhmudov can punch a lot harder, so let’s see.’
Fellow Brits Richard Riakporhe and Jeamie TKV will also fight on the undercard, with the latter looking to defend his British heavyweight title.
