Tyson Fury’s comeback to the world of boxing has been nothing short of miraculous.

After spending years in the shadows, struggling with drug abuse and mental illness, the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ sits on top of the world now.

Fury is being ranked as the number one heavyweight on the planet by experts and colleagues alike and now, another superstar athlete has endorsed his claim.

Undefeated MMA star Khabib Nurmagomedov has waded into the debate, and he thinks Fury stands above the competition in his weight class.

“I think best is Tyson Fury,” said Nurmagomedov in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

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“In my opinion, like boxing, he’s the best right now, my opinion. Because you see his fight versus Wilder. Without the knockdown, he beat him.

“Right now is not bad in heavyweight boxing. (Andy) Ruiz, (Anthony) Joshua, (Deontay) Wilder, if (Wladimir) Klitischko came back, it’s very good in heavyweight right now.

“But my opinion, Fury is the best. Maybe I’m wrong and sorry about other guys, I like all of them and respect all of them but this is very good time for boxing heavyweight division.”

A Khabib endorsement - just another reason for Fury to smile.

Fury has the chance to cement his status as the best in the world when he takes on Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

While Schwarz seemed an odd choice of opponent at first, Fury’s camp has since revealed that the German was picked to provide better preparation for a rematch with Deontay Wilder.

After their initial bout ended in a controversial draw, the boxing world has been desperate for Fury and Wilder to step back into the ring together.

Will Fury still be the best in the world when that inevitably happens? Only time will tell.