By Scott Gilfoid: #1 WBO heavyweight contender Tyson Fury (23-0, 17 KOs) isn’t just content with going out and beating #3 WBO Christian Hammer (17-3, 10 KOs) in their fight this month on 2/28. Fury wants to score a knockout against the 27-year-old Hammer when the two of them battle at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Fury wants to make a big splash for some reason. Who knows why? Perhaps Fury has seen all positive press that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) has been getting lately with his highlight reel knockouts, so he wants to try and copy him and get some of his own positive press.
Whatever the case, Fury means business and wants to take the shorter 6’2” Hammer on February 28th. If Fury can stop Hammer, he’d be only the third fighter that has accomplished that task during Hammer’s seven year pro career. Hammer has been previously stopped by Mariusz Wach in 2010 and some guy named Robert Gregor in a 1st round stoppage in 2008.
“Put it this way, someone is getting knocked out and it isn’t going to be me,” Fury said. “I don’t see this fight going beyond five rounds. I want the knockout and that’s what I’m out to get on February 28th.”
I hope for Fury’s sake he doesn’t try too hard to get a knockout in this fight, because he could very well run into something and get knocked out himself. I mean, Hammer isn’t the hugest puncher in the heavyweight division, but if you get a guy with a weak chin like Fury swinging for the fences with every punch, he could leave himself open for a big punch from Hammer that he never sees coming.
Once Hammer connects cleanly with one of his power shots, it might be all over for Fury. A loss for Fury would be a huge blow to his career because it would ruin his payday fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko later on in the year. Fury has been pining away for a fight against Wladimir ages now, and now that he’s about to get his fight, he can’t afford to get stroked out by the smaller, little known Hammer.
What would be especially tragic in Fury’s case is that he’d be giving up a title shot against Deontay Wilder, because the American talent is interested in fighting him next. For Fury to say no to a Wilder fight, and then get knocked out in a stay busy fight against Hammer, it would be major blow to the British fighter’s career. To be sure, Fury could no doubt come back from a loss to Hammer, but he would have to likely forget all about his title shot against Wladimir ever happening. By the time Fury did come back from the Hammer loss, Wladimir will likely be long retired from the sport.
Fury is coming off of a 10th round stoppage win over Dereck Chisora last November in a one-sided fight. Fury used his long reach to dominate the shorter Chisora from the outside to win an easy fight.
As for Hammer, he recently defeated Irineu Beato Costa Junior by a 10 round decision last November. This is the same Costa Junior that British heavyweight David Price will be facing this Saturday night in Monte Carlo on the Gennady Golovkin vs. Martin Murray card.
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