Tyson Fury's father John Fury has admitted he did not expect his son to ever return to the boxing following his personal struggles.
Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) hasn't boxed since his victory over Wladimir Klitschko in Nov. 2015, but recently signed a promotion deal with Frank Warren.
During his time away from the ring, the former WBA-WBO-IBF champion admitted to problems with alcohol and depression, failed a drugs test and had a two-year ban backdated by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).
However, he is now free to box again due to the British Boxing Board of Control's decision to lift his suspension in January after UKAD backdated a two-year ban for testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone in 2015.
"I didn't think he [Tyson] could come back," John Fury told iFL TV. "I thought it was all over. Done and dusted, but he proved me wrong.
"I thought it was over. I said to him, 'is this what you want to do with your life? When you get to my age you're going to look back and reflect, and you're going to be gutted for forevermore', but thank god he's come the right route.
"I just think he's going to be better from that. From being in that dark place to where he's at now he knows he never wants to go there again. It was self-inflicted. His own fault, not listening. Listening to too many wrong people.
"At the end of the day you need to go to these dark places to understand where you've gone and I think now he knows 100 percent where he went wrong.
"He knows what he's got to do to change things and he's doing it, he's changing everything. I am 100 percent happy and confident in every way."
While Fury no longer holds any of the world heavyweight belts he won with victory over Klitschko, his father John remains confident that he'll be able to reclaim them at some point during his career.
"I have no doubt in my mind that my son can reclaim those belts when he's 100 percent right and ready," John Fury said. "He's an extraordinary fighter, brilliant fighter.
"He's focused. There's nothing else on his my mind besides eat, sleep, drink, training. He's on a mission now. He's come back from brink of disaster."
Fury is scheduled to return to the ring on June 9 against a currently unnamed opponent.