Cannock 'boy' Ollie Cooper warms up Tyson Fury for Anthony Joshua super fight

Tyson Fury has tuned up for his fight of the year by punching ’my English boy’ from Cannock!

Fury and Anthony Joshua finally meet in Cardiff on December 11 – and Ollie Cooper has been with ‘the Gypsy King’ in Miami ahead of the clash of heavyweight titans.

The English super-middleweight champion explained: “I was in Miami helping Ermal Hadribeaj prepare for a world-title fight (against Sebastian Fundora).

“His coach was saying Tyson Fury was in Miami and I said: ‘I would love to meet him.’

“A couple of days later I got invited over to SugarHill Steward’s gym in Miami.

“I didn’t want to bother Tyson – but he seemed glad I was there. He is surrounded by Americans and he was calling me: ‘My English boy’.

“I was hitting the bags and then Tyson started shouting: ‘Where’s my English boy ?’ and the next thing I knew I was in the ring getting punched by the heavyweight champion!

“We did four rounds of body sparring and then we went on the bags together.

“He was giving me advice and I mentioned I was the English champion because I knew he won it as well.

“I’m looking to take the same route he took.”

Fury won the English heavyweight title in his eighth fight before stepping up to win British, Commonwealth, European and world honours – and Cooper says he wants a shot at the Lonsdale belt.

The 26-year-old southpaw was crowned English champion in May with an eighth-round stoppage of James Osborne and is waiting to hear what’s next.

He said: “The British title is the one I want,” but boxing bosses this month ordered British champion Callum Simpson to defend against Mark Jeffers.

That leaves Cooper looking elsewhere and he sees a match with Coventry ticket seller Aaron Bowen – a part of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable – as a possibility.