LONDON, England — Frank Warren is hoping two-weight world champion Billy Joe Saunders can "do a Tyson Fury" by bouncing back from the brink of retirement.

Saunders, 35, has not boxed since his defeat to Canelo Alvarez in Texas four years ago, but insists he is not done fighting yet.

During a recent interview with The Ring, the southpaw confirmed he had dropped 50lbs during a prolonged training camp in Thailand as he plots a pathway back into the sport.

He also revealed he had sat down for exploratory talks with his long-time promoter Warren about a comeback after struggling to come to terms with a life without boxing.

Now Warren has told The Ring that there are parallels between Saunders’ position and the one that Gypsy King Fury found himself in 2018.

Fury had gone off the rails in the aftermath of his famous 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko and battled drink, drugs and suicidal thoughts. He ballooned up to 26 stone and Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn admitted after a meeting with Fury that he never thought he would box again.

But Warren kept faith in the Morecambe man, who returned in June 2018 with a victory over Sefer Seferi before he went on to win the WBC heavyweight title from Deontay Wilder 18 months later.

“Tyson was overweight but he believed in himself and believed that he would make it back to the top,” Warren said.

“Now with Billy Joe, he's making all the right noises so let’s see what happens. He's been out of the ring for four years. He's said he's in the gym. So let's see how he works out in the gym, and then we'll make some decisions.

“We did the same thing with Tyson. He came and had a chat when he was overweight and had been out of the ring for a long spell, he went onto win the title again. Fingers crossed Billy Joe can do something similar, but it’s just about seeing how he performs in the gym first. We also don’t know what weight he will be so we need to see where he is at.”

Saunders was a teenager fresh from the 2018 Olympics when he turned professional with Warren. He went on to win world titles at middleweight and super middleweight before his first defeat of his 31-fight career at the hands of Alvarez.

During his ring hiatus, Saunders has been as heavy as 18st, more than 80lbs heavier than he was against Canelo, but he believes he would be capable of making light heavyweight and attempting to win a world title in a third weight class.

Warren adds: “I had him from the 18 years of age, he won two world titles, two different weights, so I know just how good he is. We have had a successful journey together so let’s just see where it goes now.

“I think light heavyweight will be near the mark for him. He is 35 years old now so you never know what someone has left in there. But there is one thing about Bill, he’s not an idiot. Once he’s in that gym he will know before anyone else whether or not he’s still got it.

“Light heavyweight is a tough division but it’s always tough when you’re coming back after so long out. I wouldn’t put it past him."