Tyson Fury is more durable than Anthony Joshua and the rest of his rivals despite his 'love handles', Charlotte Daly tells The Hook… as she claims added muscle would 'slow him down' ahead of Francis Ngannou showdown

Tyson Fury is the most durable heavyweight in the sport and can outlast ‘chiselled’ stars like Anthony Joshua in the ring despite his love handles, Charlotte Daly has told The Hook.

Fury – who goes toe-to-toe with Francis Ngannou this weekend in Saudi Arabia in a showdown being dubbed as the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ – gave an exclusive interview with Mail Sport this week where he said was proud of his weight and claimed it will help him defeat the MMA star.

He defiantly said he ’embraces being fat because my love handles separate me from the rest of the world’ and Daly discussed how he still possessed incredible stamina and enduance in the ring despite his physique.

Speaking on Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast The Hook, she told co-host Alex McCarthy: ‘Tyson Fury is one of, if not the most durable heavyweight on the scene at the moment. 

‘He can last longer than Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, you name a heavyweight – he can last longer than them. 

Tyson Fury is more durable than all his heavyweight rivals says Charlotte Daly ahead of his bout against Francis Ngannou this weekend

The Gypsy King can outlast ‘chiselled’ stars like Anthony Joshua (L) despite his ‘love handles’

‘He doesn’t look like he should. AJ is up there with his chiselled six-pack when he’s weighing in, Tyson is there with his beloved love handles, but he is durable and it makes him dangerous in the latter rounds of fights. Francis is going to see that at the weekend.’

Daly went on to add that the Gypsy King might not even be as effective if he was leaner and had more muscle – saying it might hinder his abilities and slow him down in the ring.  

‘Fury has great footwork in the ring – you pair that with the IQ he has and he’s hard to hit. I don’t want Fury trying to fool people that because he’s got these love handles and he doesn’t have a six pack that he’s not working hard in the gym. 

‘If he was to put on a load of muscle it would slow him down and negate all those things that are great about him. He works really hard with his coach Christian Blacklock to get the perfect balance. He gets the majority of his conditioning through sparring sessions. 

Fury lifted the lid to Mail Sport in an exclusive interview in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

‘Christian was telling me how he does fitness drills at the start of a camp before he picks up any gloves. It’s just pure fitness. 

‘He’s a strong guy too – he looks top heavy but he’s pretty strong on his bottom half as well. Don’t let the love handles fool you. He puts the work in in the gym, it’s not just luck that he’s that fit.’

Speaking to Mail Sport in his interview, Fury lifted the lid on why he ‘doesn’t care about being fat’ and how his looks can be deceiving in the ring.

‘It’s good to have a good body. I would love to have a good body. But, I don’t have any hope of having a good body,’ he said.

‘I have been training for well over 20 years and I still haven’t got a good body. I’ve been in a training camp, living like a monk, for the past 12 weeks and I still don’t have a good body.

Fury is preparing for an epic crossover bout against MMA star Ngannou on Saturday night

‘I didn’t have a good body when I was in my teens, so never mind clocking onto 40 years old. But, the one thing I’ve learnt is this isn’t a bodybuilding contest. 

‘Although I don’t look a man who can do long distance or run for 20 miles, I am a man who can do that. 

‘I think of myself as an old fashioned kind of guy who can go in there and have a fight, it doesn’t really matter what I look like. It’s about getting the victory. 

‘If I had a 10 pack and I looked like Adonis – completely unbelievable and I wasn’t winning, it’s pointless. So I don’t really care about being fat. 

‘I am fat now, I was fat as a baby and I will be fat on my death bed. We’re all fat. Hughie is fat, Shane’s fat, my dad’s fat and even my mum’s fat. I hope she’s not watching this. But, we’re a fat family.

‘Even when I got down to 17stone, like this, I still had love handles. It’s my trademark for sure.’