By Grant Darling: After what can only be described as a Tumultuous couple of years for ‘The Gyspy King’ since his tremendous triumph over an era-dominating Wladimir Klitsckho, things are looking up Tyson Fury.
Having watched Tyson’s videos of him back in the gym and on the pads, I think it is only fair to say that he is probably the most graciously moving 27 stone man on the planet at the moment. And whilst AJ is looking dominant in the heavyweight division with an eager Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker looking for the best possible payday for themselves after what will be a probable loss and they can then disappear into the sunset with their millions, Tyson Fury seems to be the only man that looks capable of beating Anthony Joshua. Cast yourself back to 28th November 2015, where Fury had earnt his way to challenge against King Klitschko in what was supposed to be a routine win for the Ukrainian. There was much controversy in the final 24 hours leading up to the fight, with the fight nearly not taking place all together after the ring having far too much padding where you could see Tyson’s feet dipping into the mat like a memory foam mattress as a tactic to slow him down, and Wladimir having his hands wrapped without a representative from Camp Fury present. The fight finally went ahead at the last moment and was the start of what could only be described as a masterclass.
I remember watching the fight, and right up to the opening bell I thought “Tyson’s done well to get here but this is going to be another step-by-step breakdown by Klitschko and will finish Fury from the 9th round on”. Boy, were we wrong. Something that I remember clearly after the end of the first round was Tyson Fury looking over to the Sky Sports Pundits, Carl Froch and Adam Smith, and shouting “1-0!” and he was right. We all know what happened and some will say Klitschko was wasn’t firing much at Fury but then again, did Tyson Fury let him fire off his iron jab like usual? It was a great shake up in the boxing world and one that was certainly not scripted to happen from the outset. But from there on things took a turn for the worst.
Many people have written about Tyson’s checkered last couple of years, so I won’t go too in depth with it, but you must give him his due; He has come out and spoken openly about depression, which in a sport that is filled with testosterone fueled men where showing a weakness is not a common trait does take a lot of guts. But skipping forward to now, where Wladimir has retired after an emphatic fight at Wembley, AJ is the new king of the heavyweight division, and Deontay Wilder is still fighting low level opposition, there really is only one person who can shake the heavyweight division. Again.
I know a lot of people are not fans of The Gypsy King, but he is probably the most technically gifted in the division. Yes, he has been knocked down by what was ultimately a blown up cruiserweight in Steve Cunningham, but his head bobbing, weaving and quick feet are an usual skill in the current climate of heavyweight boxing where it is currently all about the knockout. Don’t get me wrong, heavyweight boxing and the spectacle it craves is about the huge KO’s, but if you get down to the sweet science that is boxing it is, after all, hit and don’t be hit. If you watch his videos he’s posted this week, can you honestly say you have ever seen an out of shape, over weight boxer move as good as Tyson? Most definitely not. And to see him looking happy, positive and most certainly on the right path to a comeback, you have to say that he could very well be a heavyweight champion again by this time next year.
Let’s look at obvious choice – WBO Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker. He is keen to get the AJ fight for huge financial gains but doesn’t really bring anything to the table other than the WBO belt. Plus, it seems Parker’s promotional company (Duco Events) want far too much of the purse split for it to be viable now. His last outing was also against Tyson Fury’s cousin Hughie, who he beat in what was a very average performance by the both and we know Parker is extremely keen to be a name Britain to enhance his chance of getting the money fight against AJ. I think it only makes sense for Parker to fight Fury, as Tyson would be keen to avenge his cousin’s loss and of course secure himself another world title. On the flip side, if Parker won then it would put him on a collision course with AJ after proving his worth against a former unified world title holder. I can’t see Parker beating Fury as Tyson, when fit, would dance his way to a unanimous decision past the durable but limited Parker in a one-sided fight. Deontay and AJ is probably the best option for AJ right now as far as commercial viability and would make it easier for Eddie Hearn to sell to both HBO and Sky Sports Box Office, covering both sides of the pond. Providing AJ comes through that fight with the W, which to be honest I can’t see going any other way, would leave what every boxing fan around the world wants to see: The clash to become The Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Of The World – WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine Holder.
The only way they can ALL be on the line is if AJ fights Fury, with them both coming through the fights stated above, in what would be Britain’s biggest boxing event in history. It is such an easy fight to sell, with AJ’s sleeping lion persona like Lennox Lewis, and Fury’s unpredictable behavior would certainly bring a few fireworks before the fight and most definitely in the ring. The other huge bonus to this fight is the clash of styles. One is the heavy hitter who likes loading up and counting on the KO, the other working on using range and movement to pick the opponent apart. I would of course say AJ wins the fight if he lands one of his killer shots, BUT I also said I couldn’t see Fury lasting with Klitschko and look how that turned out. Could Fury do the unthinkable and outpoint the young lion in AJ? If there is one person who could dance, move, weave, bob and jab their way to a points win against a frustrated AJ, with their huge range and awkward style, and become The Undisputed Heavyweight champion Of The World it is The Gypsy King himself.