'Would Beckham do it?' - Fury stands by Thailand fight

ByKal Sajad

BBC Sport boxing journalist

Boxer Tyson Fury says modern-day sports stars think they are "bigger than they actually are" after choosing to fight in front of just 1,500 fans in Thailand instead of pursuing a more lucrative event elsewhere.

The former heavyweight world champion, 37, will face 46-year-old Pole Mariusz Wach in Pattaya on Friday.

A win will set up the long-awaited showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, should the Watford-born fighter win his warm-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia a day later.

"Which other world champion on my level - a high-level athlete on earth - would do a performance in front of 1,500 in Pattaya?" Fury said at Wednesday's news conference.

"Do you think David Beckham would play professional football here, or someone famous like that? No way. They're just not going to do it.

"A lot of these big celebrities and sports stars think they're bigger than they actually are."

Friday's contest will not be broadcast live and will instead feature as part of the third series of the Netflix documentary 'At Home with the Furys'.

The proposed Fury-Joshua fight has been more than a decade in the making, with contracts already signed for a contest expected later this year, although a venue has yet to be confirmed.

Wach has lost seven of his past 10 fights and is a significant underdog on paper, but Fury insisted the veteran presents a sterner test than Joshua's opponent, Albanian Prenga.

"Let me tell you, Mariusz Wach would put his fist through Joshua's opponent, whoever he is," Fury said.

"This man would knock him spark out. He's a real fighting man. We're not interested in other people. This is my show.

"I'm not interested in what's going on elsewhere with Joshua or [Deontay] Wilder or [Oleksandr] Usyk or anybody. This is about me and Mariusz, not about anybody else.

"What happens beyond Friday is none of my concern. What will be will be."

The event was organised on just three weeks' notice after Fury decided he wanted to fight in Thailand, with promoter Spencer Brown saying the former champion turned down the opportunity to earn considerably more elsewhere.

Brown also says ticket profits will be donated to a local charity supporting disadvantaged children and students with disabilities.

Fury, who bases his training camps in Thailand, appeared relaxed and in good spirits. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, he said he felt revitalised by returning to the country.

"I feel at peace with everything whereas before I had a lot of pressure on me," he said.

"I thrive better in a warmer climate and feel rejuvenated."

Fury criticised the current heavyweight champions - WBC title-holder Agit Kabayel, WBA champion Murat Gassiev and WBO champion Daniel Dubois.

Kabayel and Gassiev became world champions after Usyk vacated his belts, while Dubois claimed the title by beating Fabio Wardley in May.

"All those men have been gifted world titles and never actually fought anyone to get them," he said.

"How can you compare those men to me? I've fought legends in the game and beat them for the titles. They're in their own little group and I'm on top of the Empire State Building."

Wach promised to "ruin" any plans for a Fury-Joshua fight by causing an upset in Pattaya.

Fury quickly dismissed the suggestion he was overlooking his opponent.

"No," he replied. "I'm focused on you only. Zero interest in Joshua."

The pair shared a light-hearted face-off, exchanging jokes before embracing in a hug to bring the news conference to a close.