Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury has given his permission for a two-year old colt to be named after him.

The former world heavyweight champion gave his blessing to owner Phil Cunningham of Rebel Racing and Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer naming the son of Iffraaj out of the dam Za Za Zoom after him.

Spencer revealed he and Cunningham approached Fury – who was most recently in action in December when fighting to a dramatic draw with Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles – on the venture when they met him on Saturday.

“He’s given us permission to name a horse after him, which is great. Hopefully, he can turn out to be all right,” he said,

“By the sounds of it Tyson might come up and have a look at the horse and hopefully come to the races. That would be great.”

Tyson Fury's updated CV:

28 fights
27 wins
1 draw
WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, Ring Magazine heavyweight champion
The Ring's Comeback of the Year
The Ring's Round of the Year

He's now had a two-year-old racehorse named after him that will be trained by Richard Spencer in Newmarket.

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— bet365 (@bet365) February 25, 2019

“He’s only a two-year-old, he’s only cantering, but he’s doing everything nicely,” said Spencer.

“He’s got a Derby entry for 2020. We think he’s a nice horse and we rate him. Let’s hope he can progress.

“He’s a big horse, so he’s going to need a bit of time. I’d say all being well he’ll be out in the middle of the year.”