Kentucky Derby 2021: Tyson Fury will weigh in to see namesake run for the roses

World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury will attend Saturday's Kentucky Derby to watch his namesake, King Fury, run for the roses.

Trainer Ken McPeek named the colt, who races for Fern Circle Stables, Three Chimneys Farm, and Magdalena Racing, in honor of the boxer. He tweeted at Fury this week inviting him to attend the Derby as a guest of the connections. Plans were quickly made for Fury, who is training in Las Vegas, to fly in on Saturday morning.

“Tyson Fury is coming, along with [promoter] Bob Arum, along with some others from Top Rank Boxing," McPeek said. "I had tagged him on Twitter, and his agent called me and asked, ‘Are you serious?’ And I told him yeah, c’mon, it’ll be fun. So he’s flying in Saturday. He’s going to do some Muhammad Ali stuff, too, while he’s here.”

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Arum was formerly part of the Main Bout company of the late Louisville native Ali. The great boxer is buried in Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery, and the Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville is a museum commemorating his life.

Fury will have a meet-and-greet with his namesake, winner of the Lexington Stakes in his final Derby prep, at McPeek's barn. The boxer will then make the walkover from the stable area to the paddock with the colt.

“He likes horse racing,” McPeek said. “He’s from Manchester, England, and evidently he’s been to the races over there, and likes the races. I don’t think he’s done anything in American racing. But how many times do you get to have the heavyweight champ come over?”