UNDEFEATED heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury never pulls any punches, and when News Shopper caught up with him before the James DeGale fight at Bluewater it was no different.

In a wide-ranging interview with Shopper’s Jim Palmer and Riadh Aouichaoui, he discusses his love of Ryan Gosling, why Keston-dweller David Haye couldn’t beat him on February 8 if he came armed and has some downright frightening words about a potential crossover fight with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez

What brings you here today?

Fine wine and good food.

No, the boxing tonight and the signing today. It’s a good opportunity for people to meet who I am, whoever that is.

Do you like meeting the fans?

I’m not really too bothered to be honest, it’s one of those things.

How is the training going?

The training is going OK, I suppose.

I have been back in training a week, so it’s early days. Ten weeks left.

How does your training build up?

You start of easy and as you progress it gets a little bit harder and harder and harder, then you simmer down towards the end and taper off, really.

How do you manage your diet? What sort of things can you eat?

Nothing really, apart from meat, vegetables and water.

Is it tough being in training camp?

Not really. I’ve got ten weeks of dedication, then I can do what I want for another four or five weeks, and then ten weeks of dedication. So it is not too bad.

I have to work in ten week periods. Everybody has to work every day so I’m lucky really that I do ten week bursts so it’s not too bad.

What do you do to relax?

After training I’ll watch a movie or talk to the boys or whatever and that’s about it, really.

What’s your favourite movie?

My favourite movie is probably The Notebook.

You strike me as a Notebook kind of guy...

Yeah, I like that movie. I like Ryan Gosling.

We all do. What a set of abs...

He’s a handsome guy.

Have you got a favourite Rocky movie?

Yeah, Rocky. The first Rocky. Great film.

It’s Rocky IV for me...

Where he fought Drago? Yeah, another great film. But it’s always the original for me. Always.

What about the Haye fight, then*? Have you got different sparring partners in?

No, no, I’ve got the same sparring partners from the last camp. It’s all the same stuff. Nothing changes.

WARNING: TYSON USES SOME RIPE LANGUAGE IN THIS VIDEO

How do you think the fight will go down?

He’s going to get beat. No matter what he brings to the table, he’s still going to lose. He could have a hammer in his hand, he’s still going to lose.

He can’t beat me.

Do you think you will stop him?

I’m going to stop him, I’m going to humiliate him, I’m going to make him look s**t.

Once you have beaten him, where do you go from there?

Probably McDonalds on the way home. After that, you never can tell – the stars maybe.

A few weeks ago Cain Velasquez** dominated Junior Dos Santos, do you still think (a fight with him) is something that could happen?

Yeah.

What do you think of him? He is an animal...

An animal in what right? What do you mean by an animal?

Well Junior Dos Santos is a professional boxer...

...He’s a low-level boxer, yeah...

...But in their fight, Cain Velasquez just fought him from corner to corner. How do you think that would end up, if a boxer went up against a UFC fighter? It’s been done before.

It has been done before. A boxer knocked out a UFC heavyweight champion. Ray Mercer knocked out Tim Sylvia. Spark out with one hit.

Do you think it’s something (a Fury v Velasquez fight) that could happen?

Listen, after I get David Haye out of the way I’m more than happy to fight Cain Velasquez.

Let me tell you this, I don’t want to fight Cain Velasquez in MMA, Cain Velasquez doesn’t want to fight me in boxing.

I suggest we make up a new fight, an all-in everything goes.

In a car park somewhere?

No, in whatever he wants. Anything goes. That way when I bite his ears off, poke his eyes out and bite his nose off you’ll see how much of an animal I am.

An animal is that. Survival is that. When you’re on the streets or in a boxing ring or wherever and there’s no rules, you are surviving for your life. Do or die.

Then you see the animal in a person. The animal instincts will come out.

When there’s rules, a man can’t be an animal because he’s controlled his aggression.

But, he’s good in his own sport and I’m good in my own sport.

If we had a crossroads sport then we could see who is the better man.

*Fury was scheduled to fight David Haye (who lives in Keston and is trained by Bromley boy Adam Booth) in September, but the fight was postponed a week earlier because Haye sustained a bad cut in training. It has been rescheduled for February 8.
**Cain Velasquez is the UFC Heavyweight champion. Fury and Velasquez have traded words in the press about a possible fight.