Tyson Fury faces off with ‘dangerous’ Mariusz Wach for first time before secretive fight

Tyson Fury has faced off with Mariusz Wach in Thailand as his warm-up fight closes in.

The ‘Gypsy King’ announced that he would face the 46-year-old Polish veteran in a warm-up fight in Thailand on Friday night.

Seconds Out

It will serve as a tune-up for a signed clash with Anthony Joshua, which is expected to land at the back end of the year if his rival beats Kristian Prenga on Saturday night.

Details about Fury’s return have largely been kept under wraps, with only fans inside the venue to see the bout with all ticketing proceeds to go to charity.

The clash will not be streamed or broadcast on TV, but the pair were brought together for a press conference.

It saw Fury and Wach come together for the first time, with the Polish giant stepping forward and facing off with the Briton.

In trademark fashion, the Morecambe native tried to bring humour on stage as he tried to scare Wach.

But the pair laughed it off and shook hands on stage, with proceedings remaining cordial.

Wach has vowed to spoil the plans and cause an unlikely upset during the secretive clash, which the watching world will only able to see on Fury’s next series of ‘At Home with the Furys’ on Netflix.

But for the charismatic Fury, it should be a fight in which he can remain active, but win comfortably against an aged rival who is far from his boxing prime.

Fury – I’m not interested in Joshua right now

Joshua has invited Fury to Saudi Arabia for the pair to share their own first face-off, one day after if Fury beats Wach.

The pair clashed verbally in the past at Fury’s comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, but AJ refused to step into the ring.

It is clear that a future clash with Joshua, which is signed but without a date and venue, could be a significant distraction.

But the ‘Gypsy King’ has ruled out travelling to the Middle East, and insists focus is simply on Wach.

“This fight is a dangerous fight,” he said.

“Mariusz is the same size as me, same weight as me. He’s had the same amount of fights, if not more than me.

“He’s been in there with the most elite level champions out of two generations, two eras.

“Let me tell you, Mariusz Wach would pretty fist through Joshua’s opponent, whoever he is, ‘Mr Pringles’ [Kristian Prenga].

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“This man would knock him spark out. He’s a real fighting man, but we’re not interested in other people.

“This is my show, and I’m not interested in what’s going on elsewhere with Joshua or Wilder or Usyk or anybody.

“This is about me and Mariusz. It’s not about anybody else.”