Tyson Fury receives call from Donald Trump ahead of Deontay Wilder trilogy

Tyson Fury was given a surprising phone call by President Donald Trump last night, according to the boxing champion's Instagram.

Fury, who is the world heavyweight champion, was at home celebrating his pal Leigh Wood winning the world title at Matchroom Boxing's Fight Camp, when he received a surprise call from a friend Hughie Johnston and the ex-president.

Johnston, an outspoken Trump supporter and former boxing champion, set up the call while out for a meal with Trump, and Fury appeared to be delighted to be on the receiving end.

"Just got off the phone with Donald Trump," Fury said in an Instagram story last night. "What a nice surprise from my pal Hughie Johnston.

"Thanks boys, enjoy your lunch guys."

Trump, an avid fight fan, previously invited Fury to the White House after he won his WBC heavyweight title from Deontay Wilder in their 2020 rematch.

But the onset of the coronavirus just weeks later likely cancelled any plans for an official visit.

"That was a great fight," Trump said to media after the bout. "That was a great fight between two great fighters, it was really exciting.

"Maybe we'll have to bring them both to the White House, I don't know, because that was really a good one, in fact I think we'll do that."

Pope Francis also reportedly expressed interest in a meeting with the boxing star, but neither of the events managed to take place after the February fight, with worldwide lockdowns beginning in early March.

Fury wouldn't be the first fighter to attract the attention of the 45th President of the United States, with Trump becoming friendly with UFC fighters Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal in recent years.

Then-President, Trump invited Covington to the White House in August 2018 after winning the interim UFC welterweight championship of the world.

And just over a year later, he attended a fight between Masvidal, an outspoken supporter of his, and Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden.

Trump and UFC boss Dana White are close friends, and a number of fighters including former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and legendary double champion Henry Cejudo were spotted at a Nevada rally during his 2020 campaign.

Most recently, he was spotted at Conor McGregor's trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, posing for photos with celebrities like Jake Paul and Steve Deleonardis from the YouTube group Nelk.

Meanwhile, Fury has returned to the United Kingdom after a coronavirus outbreak in his camp caused his upcoming trilogy with Wilder to be postponed from July 24 to October 9.

The pair were set to finally finish their rivalry with a third fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last weekend, but after Fury and a number of teammates tested positive for covid, the bout was moved.

A win over Wilder would ideally set up Fury for an undisputed title fight with the winner of Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk, which takes place in London at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on September 25.

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