By Tim Fletcher: Despite being an underdog in tonight’s fight, Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) is already looking past his fight against champion IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs) towards a much desired match against Wladimir’s brother former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.
Fury says he’d like to face the 44-year-old Vitali, who he doesn’t rate as highly as Wladimir in terms of boxing skills. If Fury somehow gets past Wladimir tonight, he’ll need to hold up on a fight against Vitali, because Wladimir has a rematch clause in his contract with him, and he’s not likely to let Fury just walk off with all of his titles without forcing a second fight between them.
“I think he’s [Klitschko] nervous about the fight,” Fury said to IFL TV. “I think he knows it could be his last. I’m going to take him with both hands. I didn’t see anything I’m afraid of. I’ve got a longer and faster jab than Wladimir Klitschko. If he wants a battle of the jabs, I’m up for that all day. He’s going in light; I’m coming in light, so this is about speed. I’ve got to knock him out; right hand, left hook, jaw bone, and down. When I beat Wladimir, I’m going to call out Vitali. I think Wladimir is a better boxer, but Vitali is tougher and he’s coming for a fight. Everybody wants a new champ, and that new champion is me,” Fury said.
Fury, 27, has the right idea of looking to score a knockout in this fight tonight against Wladimir. However, things could go wrong for Fury if he elects to jab with Wladimir from the outside, because that’s a battle that Wladimir will likely win. Contrary to what Fury and his trainer Peter Fury have been saying about them having a better jab than Wladimir, Fury doesn’t have the better jab. He’s also not as good a fighter on the outside as Wladimir due to his lack of punching power and hand speed. But Fury is a better fighter on the inside than Wladimir, and that might be his best bet in winning the fight if he can crowd Wladimir and fight through his attempts to hold.
Fury is a strong fighter normally on the inside, and he might be able to pry himself loose from Wladimir in close so that he can land some of his nice uppercuts. I don’t think Fury will be able to count on the referee saving him from Wladimir’s clinching in this fight because I think the referee will allow Wladimir to hold as much as he likes.
Fury will be on his own tonight if he wants to force Wladimir to brawl with him on the inside. But it would be very smart if Fury crowds Wladimir, and doesn’t let him use his jab or his outside game to dominate the action. If Fury can force Wladimir into a close quarters fight for the full 12 rounds, he could very well win a decision. Scoring a knockout is also a possibility for Fury if he can land one of his big uppercuts in close.
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