By William Mackay: Unbeaten former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (17-0, 12 KO’s) will be looking to make a statement when he faces 40-year-old Martin Rogan (14-2, 7 KO’s) next Saturday night for the vacant Irish heavyweight title at the Odyssey Arena, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Fury, 23, says he wants to prove himself ready to face the Klitschkos with this fight against the 6’3″ Rogan.
Why Fury isn’t trying to prove himself worthy to face the Klitschkos by fighting a younger heavyweight than the 40-year-old Rogan is another question. It would be nice to see Fury proving himself against someone a tad bit younger and a whole lot better than Rogan. It’s not that Rogan isn’t a decent 2nd tier heavyweight, it’s just that there are a lot better heavyweights than him and a lot younger too.
Fury told the dailystar.co.uk “I want to make a statement in this fight and prove my critics wrong. I’m going to reveal a new side of Tyson Fury and prove I’m ready for the Klitschkos.”
I really don’t think Fury is going to be making any statement with this fight no matter how easily he beats Rogan. The guy is too old, too short and too out of the top 15 for it to prove anything, other than Fury is cherry-picking opponents. When you turn down a fighter like David Price to fight a 40-year-old like Rogan, it suggests that there may be some confidence issues holding Fury back. If Fury wanted to try and prove himself ready for the Klitschkos, he had the fight right there in front of him against the 6’8″ Price. He even has a fighting style somewhat like the Klitschkos, albeit an lot more stiff in the upper body and without the great jab and left hooks that the Klitshkos have. Fury should have taken the Price fight instead of going after an older fighter like Rogan, who was already beaten twice by domestic level fighter Sam Sexton in 2009.
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