By Scott Gilfoid: 18-year-old heavyweight prospect Hughie Fury (5-0, 4 KO’s) believes that he’s going to erase Mike Tyson’s record for being the youngest heavyweight world champion. Mike Tyson captured a world title for the first time at the age of 20-years-old in defeating WBC heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick by a 2nd round TKO on November 22nd, 1986.
Hughie said to Channel 5 last Saturday night “I will do it. I will beat Mike Tyson’s record. I’ll be the youngest heavyweight world champion.”
Well, Hughie better get a start on it then because he turns 19 this September. Mike Tyson was 20 years, 5 months when he beat Berbick in 1986 and he was 27-0. Tyson had faced MUCH better opposition in his first 27 fights than Hughie is being matched up against thus far. To be sure, Mike Tyson did face some soft opponents, but not as soft as the guys that Hughie is being matched up against and Tyson was fighting them at 18. Age isn’t an excuse for Hughie not fighting quality opposition. If he’s out to break Mike Tyson’s record then he should be fighting the guys similar in talent to what Tyson was fighting at a similar age. At 19, Tyson was beating the likes of Mike Jameson, Jesse Ferguson, James Tillis, Steve Zouski, and Mitch Green. Those guys are a heck of a lot better than the fighters that Hughie has been matched up against.
For the 6’6” Hughie, the cousin of heavyweight contender Tyson Fury, to beat Mike Tyson’s record he’s going to have to speed up his progress towards that goal because beating the likes of Ladislav Kovarik (10-15, 5 KO’s) last Saturday night isn’t going to move Hughie any closer to that goal. Hughie’s next fight is this Saturday, June 15th against Tomas Mrazek (7-40-6, 5 KO’s). Notice the awful record of Mrazek? What does that tell you about Hughie’s chances of beating Mike Tyson’s record.
In fairness to Hughie, he’s not the one scheduling his fights. He may WANT to beat Mike Tyson’s record but how in the heck can he do that if his promoter Mick Hennessy is matching him up against guys like Mrazek and Kovarik. Hennessy can match Hughie up with 30 or 40 of those guys and Hughie won’t get ranked high enough to even get a title shot. Look at Tyson Fury. He’s 24 and he’s still being matched up against soft opposition. Why should you think it would be any different for Hughie? He can want to beat Mike Tyson’s record, but if his promoter is putting him in with cream puffs every week then how in the world is he going to do that.
I think it would be a big mistake of Hennessey tried to rush Hughie into a fight against one of the Klitschko brothers. It would be such a dreadful mismatch. It would be scary bad. I can’t see Hughie beating any of the top 15 contenders for any of the sanctioning bodies right now, and if Hughie is really serious about wanting to win a world title within the next two years to beat Mike Tyson’s record, he’s kidding himself. It’s not going to happen even if his promoter were willing to stop matching him against stiffs.
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