Boxing: Tyson Fury Headlines Showtime Boxing International Card On FightLine

Need some live combat sports action here before UFC 225 kicks off this evening?

Well, you came to the correct place.

Showtime Boxing International will stream an event live from the Manchester Arena with former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury taking on Sefer Seferi in a 10-round contest.

The action begins at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Fury (25-0, 18 KOs), a former WBA, WBO and IBF Heavyweight World Champion will end a two-years-and-seven-months exile from the sport on June 9. Fury has been inactive since outpointing Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November 2015 due to an injury, personal problems and a doping ban.

“I’m the fittest I’ve ever been,” said Fury, who has teamed up with new trainer Ben Davison. “Timing, reflexes, everything is better than it’s ever been. I kid you not. I’m 29 years old, coming into the prime of my life, I’m stronger and faster, holding more muscle mass than ever. I’m more confident looking at the competition.”

Albania’s Seferi (23-1, 21 KOs) is a 39-year-old Switzerland-based cruiserweight who is stepping up in weight and opposition when he faces the 6-foot-9 Fury. Seferi’s sole loss came in 2016 in a heavyweight bout against now-secondary WBA heavyweight champ Manuel Charr.

“This is going to be a hard fight for Fury,” said Seferi. “Two-and-a-half years out of the ring is a long time and nobody knows if he is still the same fighter that dethroned Wladimir Klitschko.”

Along with Fury vs. Seferi, unbeaten local fighter Terry Flanagan takes on Maurice Hooker for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title.

Flanagan, the first Englishman to earn a lightweight world title, will seek to capture a title in a second weight class just days away from his 29th birthday. Hooker, a southpaw from Dallas, Texas and ShoBox alum, has been training with Terence Crawford. Hooker will look to follow in the footsteps of fellow Dallas resident Errol Spence Jr., who went to Kell Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England to capture his first world title.

The event serves as a lead-in to the Showtime card featuring Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares and Jermell Charlo vs. Austin Trout beginning at 10 p.m. ET.