What happened in brutal sparring sessions between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte

Undefeated, Lineal, WBC and Ring Magazine heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has been keen to play down all talk of previous sparring sessions with Saturday night's opposite number Dillian Whyte - suggesting it all goes out the window once the first bell sounds at Wembley Stadium. The Gypsy King claims he treated his rival "like family" during their time in camp together up to a decade ago, as the pair prepare to take each other's heads off when they meet in the middle of the ring in front of a record-breaking 94,000 spectators.

"When we sparred years ago, I think it was about 2011, 2012, whatever," Fury said on Wednesday. "Sparring is sparring, I think I was preparing for David Haye or Wladimir Klitschko and Dillian came in - along with the rest of the guys that were there - to help me prepare for a fight.

"It's not about 'I beat him up or he beat me in a spar', we were working together. We were good friends together, we went out for a drink, we ate together, we slept together.

"Every person I bring into my training camp, I treat them with respect and like they're one of my own family."

Back in 2012, Whyte was invited into camp by Fury, to help him prepare for his Channel 5 clash with Martin Rogan at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast.

He even immersed himself in the gypsy culture by staying on a campsite in Warrington with the likes of Fury and his uncle Peter, who was training him for the fight.

A year later, Whyte would receive the call once again from Fury, this time heading out across the channel and into Europe as the Gypsy King began preparations for a domestic mega-fight with David Haye, on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

"I don't like telling sparring stories, but people in the game know. They know