Tyson Fury has revealed he will sponsor League One side Morecambe for the upcoming season.
The world heavyweight champion has been taking time off from his legendary boxing career after claiming to retire earlier this year, and has been spending more time than ever at home in the seaside town. He wife Paris live in the local area with their six children, and have made a home there over the past few years.
And Fury will give back to the club when he sponsors their home and away shorts for the upcoming season. The boxing star will have his 'Gypsy King' nickname and logo emblazoned on the kits as they look to improve on a poor last season and move up the table in League One.
He announced the news in a social media video this afternoon, saying: "Hi, Tyson Fury here, big announcement. The Gypsy King has just sponsored my local club Morecambe Football Club. Let's have a fantastic season, come on the boys and the girls get up!"
"I love the Morecambe area and it is a pleasure to be able to support my local club," Fury said in a later statement. Another announcement detailing future plans between the club and Fury is to come in the next few days.
The club's Head of commercial Martin Thomas said: "We have a great relationship with Tyson and are proud to wear his Gypsy King band on the first-team shorts for the forthcoming campaign. Tyson is a fantastic ambassador for the Morecambe area and it's fantastic to have him onboard.
"Tyson is one of the most recognisable names in the world of sport, and will bring worldwide recognition club. He will join a ever-growing list of commercial partners, alongside both local and national brands as well as local businesses the club have signed in recent seasons. We now have a huge reach across the globe, with further presence on a worldwide stage due to this partnership."
Do you want to see Tyson Fury fight again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
Morecambe will start their league campaign next week when they face Shrewsbury at home to begin the year. They finished 19th last year, just four points clear of relegation.
As for Fury, he is set to continue his speaking tour of the UK throughout the rest of the year, and will then assess his options with regards a boxing return. He insists that he will never fight again, unless Anthony Joshua is willing to fight him for free at Wembley Stadium, or Oleksandr Usyk can stump up £500million to get him back.
He most recently defeated Dillian Whyte at the national stadium to defend his WBC heavyweight title, which means he won't have a mandatory defence ordered for another year. He is refusing to give up his belt, despite claiming to be finished with the sport.