Tyson Fury and trainer Ben Davison have parted ways while promoters Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum have disclosed that Anthony Joshua is next likely to fight Kubrat Pulev, the International Boxing Federation mandatory challenger, “in late April or May”.
Davison, 26, has been instrumental in Fury’s comeback and in the World Boxing Council battle with Deontay Wilder which ended in a controversial draw just over a year ago.
The Telegraph can reveal they ended their working relationship four days ago, with Davison likely to be replaced this week for a training camp for the rematch with Wilder due to start next month.
Javan “Sugar” Hill, the nephew of late Hall of Fame Detroit trainer Emanuel Steward, is poised to be in Fury’s corner for this camp and the Wilder rematch on Feb 22 in Las Vegas. Hill, a former Detroit police officer, trained world light-heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, and revived the Kronk Gym set up by Steward in his home city.
Davison lived for almost a year in Fury’s house and is credited with assisting the boxer in overcoming mental health, drugs and alcohol issues to make a boxing return following his world title win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Fury lost over 100lb and returned to the sport last year before fighting Wilder within months of his first fight back.
“Tyson and myself had to both make decisions for our careers, which resulted in our working relationship coming to an end. However, we remain friends,” Davison wrote on Twitter.
Elsewhere, it appears that rival heavyweight Joshua, who won back the World Boxing Association, IBF and World Boxing Organisation heavyweight titles against Andy Ruiz jnr in Saudi Arabia nine days ago, will fight 37-year-old Pulev, rather than the WBO’s mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, in late April or early May.
“We want the governing bodies to tell us who goes first, is it Pulev or Usyk? For me, it is probably Pulev, because that mandatory was called first,” said Hearn.
“Off the top of my head, it will be end of April or early May for Joshua’s next fight.”
Bob Arum, the veteran 88-year-old American promoter, who has recently signed Pulev, said: “I think everyone is in agreement that Pulev will be next.”