5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce - Tyson Fury Unfiltered

Episode Date: April 8, 2026

What version of Tyson Fury will turn up this weekend? The Gypsy King returns after 16 months out and sits down with Buncey to discuss his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov, his desire to face Anthony Joshua next, and why he believes he’s in the shape of his life. Plus, we hear from Conor Benn ahead of his fight with Regis Prograis. And former world champion David Haye gives us his take on Saturday night's fight.

This is Five Live Boxing. So this week three of a nine-week heavyweight season, heavyweight fights all over the place. We'll end up in Cairo at some point. We've been in Manchester already. We've been in London. Now we're outdoors this weekend. Tottenham Hotspurs football stadium. 67, 68,000 people.

Tyson Fury in one corner. He's been there before. And Aslan Beck-Madov in the opposite corner. Both of them six for eight, six foot nine. Both of them near 20 stone. When I say heavyweight season, I mean heavyweight season. I'm Steve Bunce, and this is Five Live Boxing. So, you talked about the Gypsy King Circus Carnival.

Do you need it and do you like it? I do need it and I do like it for sure because when I saw all this layout today and all the everyone's here from the media and all the TV screens and all the screens behind me, it makes me realise that I'm at a massive major event and I'm at the top of it all, at the echelon of boxing.

And a man in demand? Yes, that's my accountant. You know, they'll call back very shortly. No, put that in Thailand. When you were in Thailand, was it totally different? Because you know, like a couple of months. Did that feel different? 14 weeks I was away in Thailand.

It was absolutely fabulous. Did you like that? Anonymity. I loved it. It was 30 or degrees every day, sweating me nuts off. It was absolutely unbelievable. Training twice a day, sometimes three times a day. It's a great place to train, such as scent and tranquility. But when you got to put the work and you've got to do it in an oven.

The gym we use is up 10 stories high with a tin roof on it. So it can get up like 45 degrees in there. no air conditioning, just old school training. And yeah, it's brilliant. And was part of that you pushing yourself to see if you still wanted it and had it? Let's be honest. So here's the honest...

Here's the honest truth first, Steve. I left the Isle of Man on the... about the 18th or 20th of December and I was going away with my wife and kids for a holiday. I didn't have any intentions of coming back or a training camp, but nothing like that. I just went to get away from the rain, get some sunshine,

because I was feeling a little bit down. And when I got there, a good friend of mine, seafood, Cantu Jim McGuinness, he's got a gym over there, and I phoned him and said, look, can we use the gym while I'm here? He said, yeah, no problem. Come down and use the gym.

So I was using the gym for a couple of weeks over the Christmas, the New Year period, and I felt good. And the vitamin A of the sun, everything just was amazing. And I thought, you know what? My bones are feeling all right over here in this sunshine. I can do this.

again. And I spoke to Seifu and he said, yep, you can train and I'll tell you if you've got it. It's a straight old man. It's 75 years old. He don't pull any punches. So he went on the pads, he went on the bag and he said, you've still got it. And did you feel you still had it as well? 100%. I never ever didn't feel I had it. Never. I was just sick of the boxing game. I've been in it so long. I needed that time away. And then one thing led to another, I ended up Spence and phone up there, turkey, I'll shake and all that. And within 10 minutes, I had a fight and a date. Because, let's face it,

when things like that happen, it's, they bring me back for a reason. This is my sixth stadium fight back to back now. Wembley, Tottenham. Saudi, Saudi, Saudi, Tottenham. Who else has ever done that? No one.

No one. Yeah? Hundreds of thousands of people actually paying and going through the turnstab. Exactly. So it's amazing. It's not just good for boxing.

It's good for the city. It's good for London. All the people come in here spending money in restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, everything. So it's great. It's great for the country. It's great for everybody. And that's one of the reasons I'm coming back as well.

So you felt that you hadn't lost it. You felt it was there as you were covering. And other people are telling you that as well. But last weekend, I'm sure you watched Deonti Wilder against Eric Del Boy Chazora. Two men that you know very, very well. You shared unbelievable. Trilogy with each man. Trilogy with each man.

Hundreds of rounds or close to 100, like 70. the odd rounds. What were your impressions from watching that fight? And did it worry you in any way? Well, here's the thing. I'm glad you brought that up because I was sitting there thinking this is shocking. I've never seen two men slide as much as these two ever before. Then I said, maybe it's just me being biased and negative towards these two guys. And then I asked everybody else and they said, no, you're not being negative. It was like that. And it was sad for me to watch that. Having boxed Azoresaura when he was in. in his prime at 27 years old,

and having Boxed Yonthe Wilder in his prime as well, and having trilogies with those guys, I know how good they were. And to see that on Saturday night, they looked like a couple of club fighters from a white collar match somewhere, you see in a local leisure center. That was a shocking to me,

and I thought, am I f*** next? And I said to Shui and the boys, and said, if I'm 10% as bad as them on Saturday night, take me out to the field, put me out to pasture, and shoot me out my misery, Because that's coming sooner or later. Whether I want to admit it or anyone wants to admit it, that's the final outcome of this.

Now, if people want to say to those other boys that they were doing fantastic and they were, oh, brilliant, heart-wise and guts, determination, commended. But actual what they were, they're finished. Now, I've watched boxing my whole life. I'm a historian heavyweights. I'm not being biased, not being negative. I'm telling you the truth.

It was shocking to see. and sad. And do you think you'd be able to spot that or sense that in yourself? Yes. So if you went back into camp next week or two weeks' time, you'd feel that you'd know enough.

I'm slightly off, I'm slightly off. Yeah, right hand to Jesus Christ, I'd never tell you a lie when I say that. I feel as God as I've ever felt. When I was 25, 27, 22, I'm as sharp as I've ever been. And I mean that. Is that why we've got Arsenal Mac,

Asela MacMood of, and not someone like Saffir Saffiri in this fight here? Is that why we've got that? No, I'll tell you why we've got him, because I need a dangerous person to get my juices flowing. If I just have an old bum, then I'm not going to, I can't get up for that. I'm not interested.

I could be him with a backhander that's a 60-year-old. It doesn't affect me. But now I know I've got a stone cold killer and this man who could put me out in one shot. I believe he's got 19 knockouts within the first three rounds. He finished his quick. He's a finisher. He's a premature finisher.

Yeah? So that means that I have to be on me form to deal with this guy. Now, I just answered a question before. Will I still be able to do what I did before? Now, here's the thing. Teddy Atlas said, if Tyson's got anything left, he'll deal with this guy's target practice, apparently.

But I'll tell you this. At any given time in my career, I would deal with this guy the same as I'm going to deal with him once Saturday night. Even a P, even a Tyson that beats Vladimir. The Tyson that beats Wilder in the second fight. Not the Tyson who beat Vladimir, because that guy would have tipped and tapped him all night

and won on a points decision. But the guy who beat Wilder on Allem, I'm still him. Yeah. The guy who tapped Vladimir Klitsko to sleep all night, that guy was a points man. He used to go to the decision regular. This guy doesn't.

This guy gets them out of there if they're there to be got out of. Who wins if those two heavyweights fight each other? The 2015... The young kid or me. Russell Dull for the wilder kid. Me. Now.

This one now. Knock him out, for sure. Because all the flailing away and dancing around, taking all your energy, a couple of good stiff shots, it's all over. Now, I can't let you go without asking you about a man, Anthony Joshua. You know, we know what happened to Anthony in December, and we know how he's dealt with it,

and we know you've reached out and you've said some things. Is that still a fight you think about, or have you just got the head on that, if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't? If it happens, great. If it doesn't happen, also great. I've got Asimbeck to think of on Saturday night, but all going well, that's the fight I want next. I know he just had his fight with Jake Paul, whatever, an exhibition. Still you have to go through a training camp, still have to get punched in the face.

It's all pretty much the same. It's like going for a run. Whether you're going for a 3-mile run, a 5-mile run, or a 10-mile run. If you're on the road, you can do any of them. It's all the same. So a fights-to-fight really. So yeah, I'll be ready for that straight away after this. And it's an interesting collaboration, him and Usik,

in the gym together and Usik working alongside it, which I'm not surprised that. That's the type of thing I'd expect from Usik. But it looks like it's working for the pair of them. Yeah, listen, Ousick will get knocked out quicker. For sure. Tides, I've never asked if you visualize how a fight unfolds once the first bell, but let's imagine where there are 67,000,

66,000 people on Saturday. It's just you, Arsden Beck, the referee. What happens, ding, ding, first round? Straight out, centre of the ring. Start working my job. Start woozing me things. Moving my head. Ping, ping, ping, bang, bang.

He's never felt punches like this before. He's thinking, fuck me, this guy's fast. Then he's in there with the legend of Tyson Fury. Ping, bang, bing, bang. Left up body, left hook head. I don't know. I'm just going to take time and enjoy it. Rathling with a few and then point him to sleep.

You're delighted to be back, aren't you? Very much so. I've missed this game. I've been away 16 months. I've been a father or husband and a Netflix filming man. Just a normal civilian. Now I'm back king of the world again. It's unbelievable.

It's easier being the king of the world. It's easier. It's easier being the G.K. Getting punched all about the head by giants than it is doing all of a stuff. Sometimes, here's how I described it recently. I was on the plains of Africa, the lying ruin. After the kill, the gazelle.

And know what it's like to chase. Then all of a sudden I've been locked up in Chester Zoo. In a cage. I'm like, oh, I'm getting fed now with some shit food I don't even like. And I got people patting me on the head and I'm the most vicious wild animal that there is in the jungle. The number one predator. The number one apex predator.

And now I'm a someone's kitten as a home cat. Do you know what I mean? That's what I was. So you're back on the planes now. I was an apex predator. Then I went to a domestic cat at home. And that's what he was. That's how I've been for the last 16 months. And now you're chasing gazelles.

And now, imagine someone's ston. me from the zoo, on a plane, back to the plains of Africa, and I'm gone again after them gazelles. That's how I feel. So that was the big lead Tyson Fury there. Now, he talked about stadium fights. Well, this man is about to go into his third consecutive 60,000-plus night. And with Connor Ben, Conner, three massive stadium fights on the spin.

It's fairyland, is it? It's like fairy tale land, surely. Oh, you can't make it up. Steve, like, I mean, first stadium showing had been a year, you know, back to back. Yeah, I mean, stadium's starting to feel like home now. Especially this stadium, because they've all been here

as opposed to scattered, scattered around. Now, it's been a lively few weeks since the middle of February with you switching and changing and stuff like that. How are you? Yeah, well, good, mate, just excited for this new chapter, new season, new beginning of my career.

You know, ultimately a lot of noise. Noise is noise, and there will always be, noise. I'd rather have a career where there is noise than a career that's stagnant or quiet or nobody cares. Ultimately, I'm excited about this new season of my career. And Regis Progray, well, you know what sort of pro is. You know what sort of man. You know what sort of man. You know what sort of fighter he is. Is it important to you that you have a very impressive win? Or is it a winner win? It's not always look for an impressive win. That's what I prepare hard for. You know, I want to

close the show early. I want to go home, I have my burger and chips. You know, so if I can get him out of there and see an opening, I'll take it. And this weight 150, it's a lovely weight 150, it's in between wherever. I know you were talking earlier on to Andy at Skyan, he asked you if an opportunity came at 147 at World Weight. Is that where you're going, or are you still having an R in here with weight-wise? No, I believe I can make 147. If a World's Opportunity was offered to me tomorrow, I'll take it at 147.

to fight this weekend. You know, ultimately I'm mandatory for the WBC World Tile and that was supposed to be this fight. You know, but most fighters would have waited out for that fight in September, July, August, September. I chose to be active and want to get straight back out

and this opportunity was presented so I took it. Once this opportunity came up, as you say, it came up, we all seem to be thick and fast. Obviously, it was, yeah, I mean, it was like one day you're here, one day you're there, the next day, this is all set in stone.

Is there an American fight on your horizon, in your head, whether it's been made or not, but in your head, is there a need in Connor Ben to go to America? Yeah, of course. I mean, my dad went over there to win the World Title. You know, so for me, it's definitely a dream to go over there and fight one of the Americans for the World Tiles. Ultimately, the belts are over there, aren't they?

Well, they are over there, and also the big fights over there. And in all fairness, Conner Ben might do some good business in America, but I don't mind me saying. So the way you fight, I think you've been made for that market. I believe so, listen, I just want to give people value for money. I've won fights that I should have lost

and I've lost fights that I should have won. And ultimately, that's the game, you know, but you only lose if you don't learn from it. You know, after the Eubank fight, I chose to go back, cried, he was upset, went back, lit my wounds, come back and got redemption and done what I needed to do. So that ain't really a loss

when you can go back, adapt and change, you know. But ultimately, I pour it all on the line. Now I know that you're not working as a TV pundit for this fight, but I've got to ask you a question about Tyson Fury. He's been out of the ring 14, 15 months. You understand about breaks, and he's coming back in a particularly difficult fight. You know, not a top five fighter, but a top 15 heavyweight.

If he came to you, what advice would you give him? What advice might you give the big lad? Because, you know, you're allowed to give advice. There ain't no advice we could give him. He knows what he's doing. Do you know what I mean? The big man knows what he's doing. He's been boxing before I was born.

you know so it's he's he's took on a challenge a tough test you know a big a big unit yeah yeah yeah so you know

ain't gonna be a pushover but ultimately I'll back Fury to win so it's obviously the Tyson Fury show and then it's maybe the Arsenal Beckmoudov show

and Connor Ben what have you believe it's the Connor Ben show but this man with me now would have you believe well it might just be his show I'm with Regis pro great

and be honest of you Regis everybody seems to just be assuming that Conner's just got a shot with his kit bag I think I mean I know you've been playing a good game of all of your injuries I appreciate that that's not a bad game but you've still got plenty left haven't you

I still got a whole bunch left man I don't see what for me I don't see where they're saying this stuff at like they're saying he's this big bad wolf he's this big bad guy look man we did a face off yesterday me kind of the same size so what is everybody talking about he's this big bad guy I just for me I don't see it

I don't see it and I don't see it And I, if you look at my resume, my resume is just deeper. That's all. So I don't see it. And he obviously has not gone down to 147, obviously been at middleweight. This fight's made at 150. Is that a big disadvantage for you or no disadvantage for you? I think it's no disadvantage at all.

You know, it might be a disadvantage to him because he's the one that has come down. You know, he hasn't made that weight in like four years. What I understand, what I heard. So, yeah, me, I'm going up. I'm getting stronger. I am stronger, so I don't see where all this stuff comes from. People create the narrative, that's what they want to do. And when you fought here before, you obviously cattle here,

and then the incredible fight with Josh Taylor, which is, you know, I know there has to be a winner, so a winner and a loser, but that was an incredible night, an incredible fight, brilliant every single second of it. And in that fight, you were both maybe under pressure, both as champions. But in this fight, the pressure is on Connor Ben, isn't it? It should be. I mean, it's not on me, for sure.

There's no pressure on me at all. You know, it definitely got to be on him. He's the one that have to perform. He's the one that was banned and all that stuff. Like, he's the one that got the 15 men. He's the one that got into an edit. So it's all on him. I mean, it's, look, I'm coming there to spoil the show and go home.

It's good that you haven't got your leg cast on or your arm cast on or your neck. I was going to do it. I was going to do it. I was going to do it. I'm not going to do that. I mean, I'm not coming to play around and stuff like that. No, like, I'm showing people like I'm fine. I'm good.

And so all those side, you are. you're perfectly fine. Like all boxes you can pick up injuries, but you are fine at the moment. Listen, I am fine to fight. I'm fine to fight on Saturday. The thing is, when we go in the camp, of course, you might have a little tweaks and stuff like that,

but at the same time, like, that was a long time ago. Before I even got in the camp for this fight, things happened, but I am, right now, I'm perfectly fine. Before I let you go, the top of the bill is Tyson-Few against Arsenal Beck-Mood off.

What's your feeling? What's your prediction for that fight? Honestly, for me, at one point in time, I had Tyson-fears being the best, heavyweight in the world. You know, so it's hard to agree on against Tyson Fury. Even though I know he's getting a little older, he might have lost a step or two, but I still got, for me, I got Tyson Fury. So that was Regis program. As I said, that fight's made at 150 pounds. And Conner's making it okay,

we're told, and Regis, well, he's not that bothered. Let's get back to the heavyweight, shall we? And David Hay was also there. Now, obviously, he's in the jungle, he's deer, he's here, he's there, he's everywhere, David Hay. But when you get David Haye, on heavy weights. He's good. David, thanks for sitting down with us. Dave, I put it to you that Arsenal Beck-McMudoff has not come here to fall over, has not come here for a payday. I put it to you, he's come here to upset things

and get himself a series of incredible fights. He'd fight for free. Yeah, he would. He would fight for free to prove who he is and what he's about. You know, he's a big Eastern European. He's exactly the fighter you expect. He is robotic. He is, he's got his mad tick and his neck. He's like a movie character. He's definitely a bad.

He's a bad, he's not a good movie character, and he's definitely not. But he can fight. He's strong, he's resilient, he takes a dog, he takes his shot, he doesn't give up. He just keeps going

until the battery's run out. Yeah, to drop him, to stop him, you need to hit him and hit him and chop him down a giant tree. One chop ain't enough in. People have looked at the defeats and said, oh no, no, it doesn't work that way.

You know, he's been stopped by good people and he's been done in style by them. I like, he got stopped because he didn't have any consideration for what was coming back at him. He just trying to walk through everybody. He just keeps trying to ball forward and that's great entertainment. That gives Tyson Fury plenty. He's the ideal opponent for Tyson Fury coming back wanting the anti-Joshua fight. If you could pick an opponent to fight anti-Joshua, someone's slower, someone not as powerful,

but straight up, vertica forearms, who comes forward. But Tyson needs to be in shape to stop this guy getting into range because once the guy gets in range, the guy works. The guy's a big, strong machine. So this is not like when he came back

after the three-year gap after Vladimir when he thought that guy, Sefer Saffiri, who was, you know, basically Tyson picked him up and Cade him. This is a whole different thing. And he's a lot older. He's like six years, six years older. That fight then when he made that comeback,

I remember the fight. He picked someone very, very easy to beat. No one was going to say the guy had no chance. No chance at all. Now he's fighting someone who's in shape, someone who's, you know, he beat Dave Allen last time out. A good pace as well, Dave. A very, very good pace, very good pace.

So he's got 12 rounds of action in him. And people need to understand that if Arslin Beck wins, he gets a rematch at worst, and he gets catapulted somewhere else. Maybe he gets Moses and Tarma. He gets himself a couple of amazing paydays, if he to win. And that's great motivation for you, heavyways, isn't it? Yeah, if he beats Tyson Fury, he gets the, he gets the AJ fight potentially.

That would be a great opponent for AJ. You know, the guy who just beat Tyson Fury, if AJ wants to fight back. That sets out nicely. Yeah, it's a nice, easy one to make you. Because the guy's so big, he looks to part and can fight. And Dave, on the subject to coming back, you mentioned AJ there. We've mentioned Tyson. obviously hasn't been around for, what is it, 15, 15 months or so.

Last weekend, one of your old opponents and one of your friends and a man you guided quite brilliantly, Derek Dolbock, Del Bo Chazzoa was involved in both a staggering fight and an ugly fight. A fight you couldn't watch. When's it ever been pretty? But last week, I think... You didn't tune in to watch a pretty fight with Derek Zora.

And Dionte's last week. Two guys that you've boxed and sparred with. So, one guy you've boxed, one guy you've spar with. So you know them fairly well. Did you catch the fight and did it? did you find it as disturbing really as I did? I loved it, but it was disturbing. It went how I thought it was going to go pretty much.

I thought Derek was going to be able to close him down. I knew he wasn't going to walk onto one of those big wilder shots because he's got a clever way of getting into range. And I fought that wilder would tire a lot more than he did. He's obviously in good condition because as the fight went on, he kind of woke up a bit and got his little snap. He got his second wind. whereas in the past when he fought Parker and when he thought Zhang

is like he just tanked really quickly. So the fight went how I thought it was going to go. I actually thought Derek nicked it. I thought it was a very tight fight, but without those two knockdowns against Derek on the scores, he would have won the fight. And is there any danger that, and I'm going to be careful how I shout at this and not do it too late, is there any danger that Tyson Fury

becomes an old man overnight at Tottenham? Because it happens. You can have a great training camp. Your head can be right. and then you suddenly realize, it's not in the tank anymore, it's not there, it's just gone. The wheel's there, the heart's there, but the body's not following any instructions.

It happens. It does happen, it does happen. And not only, but when my Achilles tendon snapped, was that a sign to say, you push your body as far as it can go? It might not be that, it might not be, it might be a fraction of your reflexes. You only need a fraction, don't you?

You need a fraction of a second is the difference between slip and a shot. Nothing. Between slipping a shot. shot and taking a shot or slipping it and countering it. So is the margin for error is so slim in boxing that being 38 versus 28 is a whole different sport. And it depends on how you look after your body between these fights and in those gaps,

Bernard Hopkins, Mayweather. The way they live. The way they live outside of the ring is basically a direct correlation, even in other sports, Tom Brady. You get these people who really look after themselves. You get people who look after themselves between the fights that are able to do amazing things in the late 30s, 40s and up to 50. So I'm not convinced Tysofuri has looked after himself between fights the best you possibly.

I think we know he hasn't. To be honest. With that being the case, there's more of a chance of him looking old overnight than it would have been if he would have lived like Antley Joshua does, for instance. And Arsenal Beck and his people will be fully aware. aware of that, fully aware. And Dave, you'll be part of the team on the night. Will you get a sense if perhaps there's something missing from Tyson's locker quite

earlier, or will it only come up later? He'll come up later on in the fight. You've got to give everyone the first three rounds to get out the ring rust. You know, he's getting a bit ugly as timing might be out. You know, he might get caught of a few shots. That happens. He ain't been in the ring for, was it, 19 months or something crazy. Yeah, whatever. It's 15 months or so, yeah.

Round three, four, five. Okay, he should be back into the groove. He should be slipping. He should be sliding. He should be clowning around and just being his old self. But if he's struggling to win the rounds, where you can see he's having to really try. Dasty, because very rarely do you see Tyson really try. It just flows. It's natural.

He's a natural fighter. And that's when he's most dangerous. Exactly. So when he's trying to load up and try to walk, is when he gets caught with shots. And coming back after so long, he's going to need to get into his flow as quickly as possible. So let me ask you this, about 10.30 on Saturday night, 60,000-odd thousand people, ding-ding.

Assuming Tyson Fury isn't ring-rusty and Arsenal, Becky's absolutely fired up. What happens? First round, first round, Tyson Fury gets his feet. He gets his range. He gets his, you know, gets his rhythm. He wants to touch that jab. He wants to find the range because he's fighting someone big once against like Wilder. And the Wilder fights, he did get shot. He did take some big shots in that fight. Well, you and I sat ringside covering our eyes in that in the thing. A third fight was brutal.

So once he doesn't have that height advantage, which he's had for the majority of the fights, he does take shots. So he's going to be wanting to get that head moving, slip and slide, you know, get through the rounds, winning them,

but not taking any damage because a shot from, you know, this big giant of a man, it's going to take a chunk out of Tyson Fury. And as you get older, your punch resistance doesn't get better. Yes.

Dave, listen, it's a pleasure talking to you. You look good, by the way. You look happy. Feel good, feel good. Don't you know, don't tell me, you're not joining any carnival circuses,

comebacks. Tell me you're not. Not for the moment. Tell me with sincerity in the voice. When I'm 50, I'll have enough a little reload. That's a relief. Dave, thanks very much. So that was David Hay, former cruiserweight

world champion and former heavyweight world champion who knows the thing or two about fighting big lumps from the old Soviet Republic because he beat the beast from the east. Who was, well, Nikolai Valley, wherever he was 7 foot 2 and 20, whatever stone.

That was then. great to speak to Tyson Fury, great to hear from him, to see how about that look in his eyes that he's really focused and really fancy. And good also to hear for the first time in a long time from Conner Ben, even if you wouldn't, understandably be drawn on certain questions. Fight week last week, fight week before,

fight week next week, fight week, fight week after. It's heavyweight season. I've not been saying it for nothing, it is heavyweight season. I'm Steve Bunce, and this is Five Live Boxing. BBC Radio 5 Live. Patrick Kulthi. Stumble in your way

into Saturday mornings with great guests. Good morning, Jimmy Nesbitt. Good morning, the party. You're terrible. Kids taking down commentators. You've wiped the floor with our commentator key. How does it feel? It feels nice.

Football chants from the gods. Take me home. I get wrong. The less set about the host, the better. Patrick Kildee. Saturday's from 9. Listen on BBC Sounds. You know,