Marbella warm weather training proving a hit for heavyweight boxing star Tyson Fury

British boxer Tyson Fury has been hitting the pads, and the bars, since his time in Marbella.

He’s the six foot eight-inch Manchester giant; the Gypsy King: the self-proclaimed bad boy of heavyweight boxing; the Batman-besuited loose cannon of the ring… and actually a pretty handy boxer who revels in making his critics eat their words.

But for months, Tyson Fury, 28, has been out of shape, out of focus and out of the limelight as he lay low while serving a ban from boxing for substance abuse.

However, while Londoner Anthony Joshua was busy wowing the world last weekend, winning a thrilling 11-set knockout victory over Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko (the man who Fury dethroned in 2015 to the surprise of many), Fury was hitting the pads in Marbella with WBO World middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, duly declaring that he has lost 1.28 stone since heading to the warmth of southern Spain. Fury hopes to get into shape in due time to capitalise on Joshua’s stardom-in-waiting, and wasted no time in challenging his British competitor to a fight in the not-so-distant future…

After watching the stunning demolition job last Saturday night from glitzy Puerto Banús surrounds, Fury said: “Anthony Joshua, challenge accepted. We will give the world the biggest fight in 500 years. I will play with you. You are a boxer’s dream.”

Fury has long been seen as, at best an unorthodox fixture on the heavyweight scene, and at worst an overweight brawler who has simply been in the right place at the right time. But there can be no denying that when he is in shape he is a pretty daunting prospect.

The man himself admitted that he had piled on the pounds in recent months, but praised his new sun-drenched training regime for helping him regain his fighting physique.

“The sun is shining, the weather is great,” he said of his Marbella training camp. “The weight is dripping off, melting off – I’ve lost 18 pounds already.”

Marbella has been the warm weather training location of choice for many a professional sportsperson or team for years. In the summer months ahead of the English Premier League football season, leading clubs descend on the resort to take advantage of the excellent climate and world-class facilities, while the region is also a warm weather destination of choice during the winter, too.