Going a round with boxer Tyson Fury is about to get a lot easier – he is buying his own pub.
The 6ft 9in two-time world heavyweight champ called time on his career last month and is set to splash £300,000 on a boozer called the Brick and Tile.
Fury, 34, was impressed after making two visits to the “traditional watering hole” in Nottingham.
Current owner Barry Brown said: “He’s a great character, it’s been nice meeting him.
“He told me he’s not looking to change much about the place. A lot of the regulars and staff are quite excited about it. It’s amazing how tall he is though… he really has to duck when he comes into the pub.”
Fury already has plenty of drinking experience under his belt – he told last year how he was downing “between eight, 10 and 12 pints of lager a day” on a training break.
Old rival Anthony Joshua said he would like to go to the pub with the star but “he’d drink me under the table”.
Fury – known as the Gypsy King because of his Traveller heritage – retired last month after successfully defending his WBC crown against Dillian Whyte in April.
He and wife Paris, 32, and their six children live in Morecambe, Lancs, but chose the Nottingham boozer as they have family in nearby Treswell.
Landlord Barry, 65, an ex-miner, added: “He’s made two visits to the pub and wants to buy it for his family mainly. When he’s visited, it’s always been when the pub is closed because he likes a bit of peace and quiet.”
Built in 1880, the pub has a sports bar and a lounge bar as well as pool, darts and dominoes teams.
Local rector Reuben Crossley said he would pop in, adding: “I know Tyson’s a controversial character but it will attract a lot more interest into the town so it is a positive thing.”
Fury’s new career echoes that of other sports stars including UFC champ Conor McGregor and footballer Frank Lampard.