A former world heavyweight champion has joined Tyson Fury at his training camp in Thailand ahead of the upcoming battle with Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Fury returns to action after a 16-month absence when he faces Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 11, with the event broadcast live on Netflix.
‘The Gypsy King’ had announced his latest retirement back in January 2025 following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, but he will stage a comeback in a bid to claim world honours once again, starting with the bout against Makhmudov.
Fury and Makhmudov held their launch press conference on Monday, before ‘The Gypsy King’ returned to Thailand to continue his training camp, having spent the past couple of months there in preparation for his return.
A man Fury knows very well has now joined him, after he posted on social media to reveal that former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker will be part of the training set-up.
Tyson Fury linking up with Joseph Parker today, in training for the Arslanbek Makhmudov fight 🤝
🎟️ Get your tickets now: https://t.co/Y66jtzZti9#FuryMakhmudov | April 11th | LIVE on Netflix | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pic.twitter.com/u2ybSIoVG7
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) February 18, 2026
Parker was WBO heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2018, and was close to reaching those heights again before he suffered an upset loss to Fabio Wardley in October.
The New Zealander failed a drugs test for cocaine in the aftermath of that bout, but he has maintained his innocence throughout and is confident he will eventually be exonerated of any wrongdoing.
As of now, no update has been provided on the future of Parker, so with his own fighting career seemingly on hold until it is resolved, his current focus appears to be on helping Fury prepare for his clash with Makhmudov.
