Klitschko’s manager not impressed with Tyson Fury’s win over Hammer

By Boxing News - 03/02/2015 - Comments

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By Scott Gilfoid: Bernd Boente, the manager for IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, wasn’t impressed with unbeaten #1 WBO contender Tyson Fury’s victory over Germany’s #3 WBO Christian Hammer (17-4, 10 KOs) last Saturday night in London. Fury stopped Hammer in the 8th round, but he looked slow and not particularly powerful with his punching power.

Fury got a stoppage victory when Hammer’s trainer threw in the towel in between rounds, but Fury wasn’t facing a quality heavyweight. He didn’t look great, and his lack of punching power is going to be a problem for him against Wladimir and when he starts facing quality heavyweights instead of the mediocre bunch that he’s been fed his entire career.

“I saw the fight [Fury vs. Hammer]. Fury did not impress me against a second or third level opponent,” Boente said via RingTV.com.

Fury is going to need to find some power if he wants to be able to compete against Wladimir this year or in the future. The pawing jabs and the slow, weak-looking right hands and left hooks he threw aren’t going to keep Wladimir off of him for a second.

Wladimir has a fight next month against unbeaten #2 WBA, #4 WBO, #6 IBF American Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) on April 25th at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“I want Klitschko next,” Fury said after his mismatch against Hammer last Saturday night.

Fury will get his title shot against Wladimir at some point, but I don’t think he’s going to be pleased with the results. That’s just a bad, bad match-up for Fury. I see him as a copy of Tony Thompson in terms of speed, punching power and fighting style.

There’s nothing in Fury’s game that can make it a competitive fight. Fury is good at beating the Martin Rogans, Christian Hammers and Dereck Chisora’s of the heavyweight division, but I don’t see him being able to beat a good heavyweight.

If you put Fury in with the likes of Alexander Povetkin, Carlos Takam, Lucas Browne, Kubrat Pulev, and Mike Perez, I see Fury losing to all of those guys. Of course, Deontay Wilder and Wladimir are at the top of the heavyweight division, and no way do I see Fury as having the ability to compete with either of those two.

Wladimir will have little problem getting past Jennings next month. That’s a mismatch. After that, it’s up to Wladimir and his manager Boente to see whether they want to fight Fury next or make him wait until 2016 for his title shot.

There’s still some decent guys that Wladimir can take for a voluntary defense. With a victory over Jennings, Wladimir will have had two tough opponents back to back in Jennings and Pulev. I could see Wladimir asking the World Boxing Organization to grant him an optional defense before he takes the Fury fight. If Wladimir chooses to go that route, you can’t really blame him, because he rates a soft defense after these two tough fights.

As for Fury, he could take another tune-up fight or two while he waits for Wladimir.



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