Who exactly is Tyson Fury’s new trainer?

One of the most colourful characters in sport, Tyson Fury has made a real name for himself in recent years. With huge fanbases established in both America and the United Kingdom now, ‘The Gypsy King’ is loving life again after his well-documented issues from the past and has put on several impressive performances since re-entering the ring.

An integral part of his comeback from mental health issues has always been down to the support and understanding of his trainer, Ben Davison. Davison was credited with refocusing Fury, getting him dedicated and tactically sound after the Deontay Wilder fight, where Fury miraculously got up after being met with one of the ‘Bronze Bomber’s’ devastating blows.

It comes as a huge surprise then to hear of the recent developments that have emerged around Fury and Davison, with the lineal Heavyweight Champion of the World splitting with his good friend and trainer. From the outside, they seemed like a tight-knit pairing, working well together and enjoying a solid friendship away from the sport. They partied together at various clubs or casinos, where they would play some of the popular table games. They even lived together too. Overall, their friendship was clear to see, and from a boxing perspective, they seemed to have good chemistry - a vital ingredient for a boxer and a trainer to have.

With all of that in mind, this was certainly a shock to many, although with John Fury’s reported disdain towards Davison following a lacklustre performance from his son against Otto Wallin, many feel this was ultimately a decision led by John Fury himself.

Commenting on the split, Ben Davison said: "Obviously it's not gonna stop until there's an answer. 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 and he will smash the dosser.”

Now, with what can only be described as a bold move, Tyson Fury is looking to add more weapons to his arsenal by appointing SugarHill Steward, the nephew of one of boxing’s greatest trainers, Emanuel ‘Manny’ Steward. It’s certainly a risk changing trainers before the humongous rematch against Deontay Wilder, but there seems to be logic behind the decision too.

On teaming up with Tyson Fury after originally meeting at the famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, SugarHill Steward said: “He’s [Fury] always enjoyed the technical aspect of my training. That was pretty much the main thing he said he wanted. He doesn’t just want to throw punches, he wants to throw punches correctly; those are actually things I saw from him fighting Wilder the first time as well. Currently, Tyson is training now, that’s good news for me!”

Referring to the eagerly anticipated rematch with Deontay Wilder, SugarHill Steward added: "I believe we’ll have seven-eight weeks together for Wilder and that will be enough. I love training, teaching, watching people grow and I’m excited to see Tyson progress through the training camp.”

There is no doubting that this is a brave decision from Tyson Fury ahead of arguably the biggest fight in his career to date, but SugarHill Steward is a trainer with a growing reputation - especially considering he’s the nephew of one of the greatest trainers ever - and they obviously know each other well.

Could this turn out to be a shrewd move from Fury? Time will tell, but on the surface, it seems like he’s looking to improve and evolve. Changing trainers was the only way he could achieve that. Tyson Fury means business, that’s for sure.