By Scott Gilfoid: Tyson Fury has officially signed a management deal with MTK Global. We haven’t yet heard how Eddie Hearn is taking the news, because he had talked this week of wanting to manage the career of Fury to help him get the big fights that he wants.
Fury isn’t going to have any problems getting the most important fights no matter who manages his career. There are only a small handful of top heavyweights that bring in any real money in the heavyweight division. Fury will get those fights regardless.
What’s interesting is that Fury is still eager to mix it up with former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew. In response to some comments made by Bellew on Soccer AM, Fury let him know that he’s still very much interested in fighting him.
”I’m here bellend @TonyBellew I’m waiting on outcome of Ukad situation then I’m ready to move! ❤️ to batter you! @MTKGlobal @SkySportsBoxing,” said Fury on his social media site.
Well, so much for the idea of Fury fighting a big puncher from the heavyweight division when he returns to the ring. Bellew is NOT a big puncher in the heavyweight division. Bellew is a 213-pound pumped up cruiserweight, who has had just one fight at heavyweight since moving up to the weight class.
Fury vs. Bellew will play out well in the UK only. They’re not going to attract interest in a fight of that type anywhere else, as Bellew isn’t a well-known fighter with casual boxing fans outside of the UK. He’s known by the hardcore boxing fans, but he hasn’t done a whole lot other than beat an injured Haye.
Bellew was briefly the WBC cruiserweight champion after beating Illunga Makabu last year in May to win the vacant WBC belt. However, Bellew didn’t do anything remarkable during his reign as the WBC champion. Instead of stepping up to the plate to face Mairis Briedis or Oleksandr Usyk, Bellew milked his title by facing #14 WBC BJ Flores in a soft defense. The WBC finally stripped Bellew of his cruiserweight title after he fought the injured Haye rather than facing the winner of the Briedis vs. Marco Huck fight, which turned out to be Briedis.
Here’s what Bellew had to say about Fury during the Soccer AM show:
“I’ve got a massive interest in fighting Stavros Flatley lookalike Tyson Fury to be honest. Listen, he’s given me a hell of a lot of stick, as good as he is, but Stavrois, if you’re out there, let’s get it going. So listen, I’m game to do it when you are. I’ll fight Tyson Fury, not a problem at all. Everyone says I’m scared of big heavyweights – he’s the biggest of them all. Bring it on. I’ve just got to stay in the gym. I think it will make for a great fight. I just want to fight, that’s the most important thing. I’m sick of waiting on the sidelines.”
For those who don’t know, Stavros Flatley is a former contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.
As far as Fury signing with MTK Global, it can be a good move for him. I don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever for the average boxing fan. The fans are still going to see the same fights for Fury that they would have if he hadn’t signed with MTK Global. Like I said, there are only a small handful of good fighters in the heavyweight division that Fury can fight. Moreover, if Fury starts getting whipped in 2018 when he fights Anthony Joshua, it won’t matter who he fights after that, considering that his career will quickly implode, and he’ll be seen as a washed up fighter.
At that point, it won’t matter who manages the career of Fury. He’ll be yesterday’s news. Right now, there’s still a lot of interest in Fury due to him being unbeaten, and a former unified heavyweight champion. Fury, 29, is the guy that beat the best heavyweight on the planet in Wladimir Klitschko back in 2015. Wladimir wasn’t the same fighter after his trainer Emanuel Steward passed away.
Fury beat an unmotivated looking Wladimir. Had Fury stuck around, he probably would have been knocked out by Wladimir in the rematch, and beaten by Deontay Wilder not long after that. The 2 years that Fury has been out of the ring has likely kept him from suffering repeated losses to top fighters in the heavyweight division. But now that Fury is about to make his ring return, he’s now going to likely suffer the losses that he would have if he’s been fighting all this time.
These are the top guys in the heavyweight division that Fury can make money fighting:
• Anthony Joshua
• Deontay Wilder
• Tony Bellew
• Alexander Povetkin
• Joseph Parker
That’s pretty much it as far as money fights for Fury. He’s already said in the past that he’ll never schedule another fight with David Haye due to him suffering injuries in the past when they were supposed to fight each other. In the best possible world, Fury will beat Joshua and fight him 2 more times. Fury can make a mountain of money fighting Joshua 3 times. If Fury can beat Joshua 2 or 3 times, then he can fight Deontay Wilder a couple of times as well. There’s also good money for Fury to make against Povetkin if they can take the fight to Moscow, Russia. Fury vs. Povetkin would do well in Russia. Ideally, Fury can make tons of money if he wins, and doesn’t take anymore long absences from the ring. If Fury doesn’t celebrate after each win by getting fat and staying out of the ring, he can probably fight 2 times a year in big money fights for the 6 years, and then retire and live well.
I don’t think that’s going to happen though. Fury will likely lose to Joshua badly, and then lose to Wilder as well. At that point, Fury will be in bad shape career-wise, and he’ll likely see smaller paydays. At this point in Fury’s career, I can see him losing to Bellew as well. That’s a risky fight for Fury, because Bellew already showed that he’s a spoiler in his fight with David Haye last March. If Bellew uses a hit a run style against Fury, he’ll beat and make him look bad. If I was part of the MTK Global management, I wouldn’t put Fury in with Bellew, because I think it would result in an ugly fight. All you must do is look at the first 5 rounds of the Haye-Bellew fight to know that Fury would struggle with the spoiling tactics from Bellew. Even if Fury wins the fight, he would be made to look bad due to Bellew’s hit and dash style of fighting. Fury isn’t fast enough on his feet to give chase to Bellew if/when he starts running in reverse. Fighters that would look good dealing with Bellew’s running are guys like Deontay Wilder, and that’s only because he’s fast on his feet as well. Bellew isn’t interested in fighting Wilder, so we’ll never see that match-up. Joseph Parker would also do well against Bellew, because he moves well for a heavyweight.
Hopefully for Fury’s sake, MTK Global puts him in against guys that will stand in front of him and fight, as I think Bellew is all wrong for him. Fury doesn’t wheels or the physique to chase Bellew around the ring for 12 rounds.