By Alex Hedges: Tyson Fury is an interesting case, the opinion of those working within boxing varies vastly from that of the fans on internet websites.
Tyson has achieved very respectable rankings, was praised by the late Emmanuel Steward, and has had trouble securing a recent fight with former champion Ruslan Chagaev, who admitted that he would need further preparation to take a fight like that. Interestingly Ruslan had no such hang ups in arranging a fight with Mike Perez, a fighter with lower rankings than Fury, but a lot more respect by those in the internet community. One has to wonder, is this former world champion, the sanctioning bodies, Emmanuel Steward and others who make their living in the business all wrong? Or maybe, just maybe people on line with no real stake in boxing are letting their hearts rule their head?
Tyson Fury had a solid amateur career, finishing up with a record of 31(26)-4, he turned pro at a relatively early age in comparison to his contemporaries, at 20 years of age. Early in his career he was seen as somewhat of a novelty act. With his height and reach he was a sight to behold, and while he certainly handled his early opposition well, there were already questions about his skill level and conditioning. He clearly was not maximising his physical advantages, with a pot belly and skinny arms, he certainly didn’t look like a professional athlete.
On the back of early success and rising infamy, Fury took a huge step up in his 8th fight, taking on the English Champion John Mcdermott.
It became apparent early on that Tyson had bitten off more than he could chew, Mcdermott was an experienced pro, who had arguably been hard done by, dropping two close decisions in recent fights against Danny Williams. Mcdermott was able to take advantage of the mistakes that Fury made, and punish him for them, although Fury was able to hang in there, and hold his own in periods, Mcdermott deserved the win in the eyes of most.
The usual hollering began, cries of “robbery”,”exposed”, “he’ll never amount to anything” which are popular after any controversial decision. Fury was in a position where he had to fight Mcdermott again, and many predicted that this time, Mcdermott would get the decision.
In the rematch Fury boxed to a gameplan, banking early rounds. After attempting an ill-advised “Ali-Shuffle” both men were tiring, and Fury managed to pull out a KO victory.
An entertaining scrap with Undefeated American brawler Rich Power followed, as did a trip to Canada to get some rounds in with durable journeyman Zack Page. After a crowd pleasing KO of Unbeaten Brazilian Slugger Marcello Nascimento, it was time to collide with fellow unbeaten british prospect, Derek Chisora.
Many considered Chisora the superior fighter, he was certainly more respected than Fury, who was still considered a comic relief figure, even though he had noted some decent victories. The fight was an entertaining domestic scrap, both men were not in good shape, but they put on a show. Fury, demonstrating surprising inside fighting ability to outwork Chisora with relative ease in winning a wide unanimous decision.
In is next fight Fury took on a fighter coming off a recent decision loss to current WBA Champion Alexander Povetkin, Nicolai Firtha. Again an entertaining scrap, Fury got caught with some good shots, and was noticeably shaken up at a couple of stages, to his credit Fury rallied, hurting Firtha in return, and prompting a stoppage. Many argued that Fury was “saved by the referee”, and while the stoppage may have been premature, I have to remind people that Firtha was the one eating punches and visibly hurt when the referee jumped in, not Fury.
A long touted fight with unbeaten Canadian champion Neven Pajkic materialised next, and crisis appeared imminent when in the second round, Fury was caught by a peach of a punch, which put him on the canvas for the first time in his career. To his credit, Fury got up off the floor looking composed, and proceeded to fight back and drop Pajkic twice in the following round, forcing a stoppage.
From this point on, Fury detractors declared him to be “glass jawed”, which seems harsh, considering he had a very porous defence, had been hit many, many times and only down once from a picture perfect shot from a 230lb national champion.
It’s interesting to wonder how Online Boxing fans would have reacted to then Cassius Clay being heavily floored by a 185lb Henry Cooper, in his 19th fight, but I imagine it would have something to do with “glass jaws”, “saved by the referee”, “7 losses bum” and “will never achieve anything”
It’d also be interesting to see what people said when Andre Ward was floored by Darnell Boone, who has a 19% ko ratio, but I doubt many would be predicting shut out victories over Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham in his future.
Boxing fans are a fickle bunch, and sometimes I like to play Devil’s Advocate. While Fury has had moments of struggle in his career, as opposed to David Price for example, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Early years are supposed to be a learning curve, and tough times can serve to forge a better fighter.
Since being dropped by Pajkic, Fury has embarked on an intense training regime, shedding the pounds and making a mockery of the detractors who claimed he “didn’t have the genetics” to be in shape. Tyson is starting to look like a professional athlete, and has also demonstrated further development in his technique, and punching power.
While there is no doubt a lot to work on, Fury has time on his side, younger than all his contemporaries, Fury will be reaching his prime when guys like Price, Pulev and others are all mid to late thirties. With the luxury of that time, Fury is free to develop at his own pace, with no need to rush his career.
I think it will be a long learning curve for Fury, and if he continues his physical development, and hooks up with a world class trainer within the next year or so, I have high hopes that Fury can continue to prove the naysayers wrong, and have a good career.
12 month goal – European Champion
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