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Tyson Fury on stepping in the WWE ring for the first time at Crown Jewel

Cape Town - Professional boxer Tyson Fury makes his wrestling debut when he steps in to the ring with Braun Strowman at WWE's Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. 

Joined by selected media from across the world including Argentina, Brazil, Italy, and Ireland, Channel24 spoke to the former heavyweight champion about swapping his shorts for spandex. 

About preparing for the match, a boisterous Tyson, says that training for a wrestling match is "very different" to training for a boxing fight, although there are some similarities. 

"Footwork, agility, and punching are skills that can be transferred. And there are some similarities with the entertainment factor."

And as for his slingshots, clotheslines, and moonsaults, Tyson says he has them mastered for fight night! 

Yet he still compares the combat sports to snooker and golf, saying: "It's totally different."

The 31-year-old describes himself as a "lifelong fan" of WWE, and growing up his idol was Stone Cold Steve Austin. "He is such a great entertainer and a legend in the game," he adds. 

Being such a huge fan gives the boxer a bit of a leg up, although he says he didn't expect it to be so "hard." 

Tyson's boxing promoter Frank Warren was one of the last to know about the WWE match and was only alerted after the deal was sealed.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Frank said that he was not happy about the match-up, and according to Tyson, Frank is still not pleased about the deal. 

When asked if Frank has come to terms with the agreement, Tyson says: "I don't know. I've had several missed calls, and when I tried to call back now, he didn't answer.

"He is probably crying that his asset is going to get murdered," he jokes. 

Even though he is adamant that he has no plans to join the WWE team anytime soon, If he were to continue, he would like to fight Brock Lesnar.

According to Tyson, the entire WWE production has been incredibly welcoming, "from Vince McMahon to Triple H."

And the best advice he has received has been from Triple H, who said: "Be yourself, enjoy and have fun."

"It's very important to be yourself, discover who you are, and own it," he says. 

Even though he has a larger than life personality inside the ring, outside the arena Tyson calls himself a family guy.

ALSO READ: WWE to showcase the first-ever women's match in Saudi Arabia

"I'm a loving husband, father, cousin, brother and son. The two are very different. Tyson the family man and Tyson the entertainer," he says. 

Thursday's fight will also be a gesture to Tyson's son, who is a huge WWE fan.

But hopefully, there won't be any arguing in the Fury household, when Tyson steps in the ring with his son's idol - Braun Strowman! 

Last week Tyson suffered neck and ankle injuries in his ambush by Braun Strowman whilst training for his debut, but Tyson assures us that he will be in top form on Thursday. 

Tyson shared a special message with his South African fans, saying: "A big shout out to all my South African fans, I hope to see you soon and hopefully have a fight in South Africa." 

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