Fury still wants Wilder fight in February despite bad cut

Image: Fury still wants Wilder fight in February despite bad cut
By Boxing News - 09/15/2019 - Comments

By Kenneth Friedman: A bleeding and battered looking Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) called out WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder Saturday night following his lackluster performance in beating warm-up opponent Otto Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fury suffered a massive cut over his right eye in the 3rd round that bled everywhere. Fury got the victory in winning a 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. However, the win came at a huge cost with Fury suffering a cut that could cause him problems for the remainder of his career.

Fury lucky fight wasn’t stopped due his cut

The referee and ringside doctor let the fight continue for the duration, but Fury could be sorry that they did. There’s a chance the cut will reopen once it heals, and could be a problem in his next fight against Wilder or whoever he faces. Fury still wants to face Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) next February. Whether that fight happens or not will depend on how Fury’s cut heals, and if Wilder wins his next fight against Luis Ortiz in November.

“After that, I want to say a big congratulations to Otto Wallin,” Fury said to ESPN.com. “I got caught early on with the inside of the glove. I’ve not seen the cut, but it feels quite bad. Deontay Wilder, I want you next! That’s my fourth fight, it has put me in good stead for the big dosser, February 22. Let the cut heal.”

Wallin cut Fury with a clean left to the head

That wasn’t the inside of Wallin’s glove that cut Fury in round 3. It was a straight left to the head from Wallin that cut Fury, and it definitely wasn’t a head-butt either. The replay showed that Fury was cut with a legitimate punch. For him to try to minimize it by blaming it on Wallin hitting him with the inside of his glove is pointless. Fury was cut, period, and he was fortunate that the fight wasn’t stopped. With a cut that bad, a lot of fights would have been stopped. Some boxing fans are saying that Wallin was robbed of a TKO victory over Fury, because he would have been given the win if it were stopped from the cut.

Tyson Fury’s promoter comments on cut

“As I keep saying when these big guys get inside the ring, one punch can change the whole landscape; whether it be a punch that causes a severe cut or two cuts,” said Fury’s promoter Frank Warren to BT Sport. “He had two bad cuts there, and the bottom line of it is Tyson was struggling to see out of his left eye. There was a lot of blood there. His corner stopped it, but each time during the round, it bled quite freely. Obviously, it hampered his eyesight, you know. He won the fight, contained the fight, and did what he had to do. You’re not going to beat him, are you? He’s got that heart. Wallin, to his credit, he proved to be a real good quality challenger…He looked confident of his ability, and he came to fight.

Tyson, I think if there’d not been a cut, he may have stopped him. He was cut a few times, especially in the later rounds. The Commission doctor said as much as their deep cuts and bad cuts, they’re not nasty cuts. They’re cuts that can be stitched, and can heal fairly good. So thanks to that. We’re talking about the [Deontay] Wilder fight. Hopefully that’ll be in February, provided that Wilder doesn’t get an upset. So that’s five months away, and time to see how it all heals,” said Warren

Warren says Fury needs to take a rest

“Fingers crossed, it should be all right,” said Warren. “But Tyson needs to now take a real rest with his family. He’s been in camp now for about a year, and he needs to take time out. There were a lot of clinches. In the clinches, he’s got the inside of the glove and he’s holding him [Fury] down, and obviously pulling on the cut. The head was going in as well, but that’s what happens in boxing,” said Warren.

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Fury was getting out-boxed by Wallin in the first six rounds. Wallin may have done enough in the first half of the fight to earn a draw, but this was obviously the ‘Tyson Fury show,’ and that meant that Wallin wasn’t going to be given any close rounds.

Another tune-up would be a good idea right now for Fury, but Top Rank isn’t going to take that route. They’re paying Fury too much money not to make the rematch with Wilder.