Tyson Fury picks out surprising choice of actor to play him Denzel Washington in biopic

When Tyson Fury says: “Not everything in life is about money,” for once he is not joking. The fighter who dressed up as Batman to goad Wladimir Klitschko and offended more sensitive souls than Bernard Manning, estimates that two years and five months in the boxing wilderness have cost him at least £20m. But Fury knows that, if he can ride his comeback all the way to a showdown with Anthony Joshua sometime in 2019, he will claw back most if not all of that deficit.

Fury will probably never have a tougher opponent than himself. Even if he were to crown his comeback by reclaiming the world title he ripped away from Klitschko in November 2015, he has already had a more significant victory after engaging in a desperate struggle against his own demons while growing fat and confused in semi‑retirement.

There was a time when everything Fury said had to be filtered through a prism that mixed fantasy, mischief and a sadness born of rolling depression and addiction to any temptation on offer. He was simultaneously outrageous, entertaining and offensive, as heady a mix as boxing has thrown up since Muhammad Ali. The jokes still flow, but they are leavened by moments of introspection.

“One day, hopefully, there will be a movie of my life, especially if I can win a world title again, there has to be a movie,” he says. “Denzel Washington is the only man who is capable of playing me. He’s got the swagger.”

When it is suggested to him that his drugs ban and an aborted rematch with Klitschko must have cost him £10m, he lifts an eyebrow and replies: “For the rematch there was [twice as much] on the table. Not everything in life is about money and I realise that everything can be taken away with the flick of a switch.

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“You have to be very thankful for being healthy, happy in life. The rest of it is a bonus. I don’t care about money, I don’t care about fame, I don’t care about glory, I’m not interested in having a fast car and suits. The important thing is that my wife [Paris] loves me and I love her and we love our family, and that’s it. She is very much important in my career, she is my rock, she is the backbone to our relationship and she has helped me with everything that I have ever done.”

Asked how understanding Paris has had to be when hearing about some of his drinking exploits, Fury cannot resist a quip. “She is a very good wife, let’s put it that way. She has had to put up with a lot of stuff over the years and she has come through with flying colours … so that’s why I got her to sign the pre‑nup yesterday for the comeback.”

The weekend Fury outsmarted Klitschko in Germany, Great Britain were beating Belgium in Ghent to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 80 years. The sporting map has been redrawn a few times since those twin triumphs in Düsseldorf and Ghent; British tennis is having to do without Andy Murray for the moment, and Fury has parted with his uncle, Peter, the trainer who masterminded his victory over the most dominant heavyweight of the past decade. Peter did not seem altogether surprised or upset when he confirmed the parting. “He’s my nephew, I got him to win the world title,” he said. “Happiest times of our lives. Whatever he does in the future, I wish him all the best.”

Fury has been training with the little-known Ben Davison for five months and they appear to have clicked as he prepares for his comeback on 9 June in Manchester against an opponent yet to be named. It could be the 38‑year‑old American Kevin Johnson, who took Fury the distance in a dull 12-rounder in Belfast six years ago, then lost to Dereck Chisora on points and was stopped in two rounds by Joshua. He would be the first of three or four opponents Fury faces before sitting down to do a deal with Joshua.

Fury is not easily drawn on the break-up with his uncle, who fashioned his boxing in his first 25 wins, preferring to talk about his new trainer’s contribution. “Ben is a great guy, one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He is a sincere, genuine soul. He is not about money, he is not about fame, he just wants for me to get back and win. He is ambitious with me. Who would get someone as young as Ben [who is 25, four years younger than Fury] with no experience to train the heavyweight champion of the world? Only a nutcase like me would employ someone like him.

“People go on about experience but what is experience? How are you going to get experience if you are not given a chance? I was given a chance so I am giving Ben a chance and so far he has come through with flying colours. I am happier than I have ever been in training camps and he is one of the best trainers I have ever worked with. We’re like two pieces of steel sharpening each other, he teaches me and I teach him.”