By Tim Royner: Despite the horrible cut he suffered against Otto Wallin, lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could still be facing WBC champion Deontay Wilder on February 22, according to Tyson’s promoter Frank Warren. They’re going to take a wait and see approach for the next six or seven weeks to see how well Fury’s cut heals before they make a decision.
There’s a ton of risk involved in Fury returning to the ring with cut that isn’t fully healed. If he were facing another non-puncher like Wallin, it wouldn’t be a much of a problem. But against Wilder, with his one-punch power, Fury would be a sitting duck and just begging for trouble. Wilder is already saying that Fury’s cut is going to open up immediately when he starts landing his shots on it. Fighting with only partial vision against Wilder would greatly limit Fury’s chances of success.
47 stitches were required to close Fury’s cuts
Fury suffered two cuts over his right eye in his title defense against previously unbeaten Swedish heavyweight Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs) on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. With blood dripping nonstop from the 3rd round, Fury made it through the fight without it being stopped by the ringside doctor.
Fury won the fight by a 12 round unanimous decision, but the cut cause a delay in his scheduled rematch against Wilder on February 22. Warren says that if the cut isn’t healed, he’ll recommend the fight not take place in February. The fight would be pushed back.
Wilder-Fury rematch won’t happen in February if Tyson’s eye not healed
“I talked to him yesterday morning after he had his stitches taken out, and he said it was all good,” said promoter Warren about Tyson Fury to IFL TV. “He said he’s happy, spending time with his family chilling out, which is what he should do. He’s been in the gym now for 14 months solid, training, training, training. He needs a break from boxing. He needs to let his body relax. I suppose he’s worried about putting weight on again, but he needs to tick over. You’re not going to know about it,” said Warren about whether Fury can make the proposed date for the Wilder rematch in February.
“The doctor said they were not difficult cuts as far as the healing process. They weren’t jagged or anything. They were straight lacerations. It’s time, and times a healer. You have to wait six or seven weeks, and then see how it looks. By then if he’s going to fight in February, but you have to remember the other guy [Wilder] has to come through on the 23rd [of November]. Hopefully, they announce it soon. Provided he comes through his fight, and Tyson’s eye is okay, then we get it on in February. That’s the intention. But it won’t go in if his eyes’s not right,” said Warren.
The problem with Fury’s cut is even if does look like it’s healed, it could re-open during training camp as soon as he starts sparring. It might be wise for Fury to avoid sparring entirely for the Wilder rematch if he’s insistent on fighting him in February.
Warren will advise Fury not to take rematch in February if his eye isn’t right
“It’s not about the fight being at risk,” said Warren about the Wilder vs. Fury rematch. “It’s about the preparation, and about the sparring. Will it be okay for him to spar leading up to the fight? If it is on the 22nd of February, then he won’t do any sparring until after Christmas or the New Year. Oh yeah, if it heals. It’s all about how it heals. Fingers crossed it will be okay, but time will tell.
“One thing is for sure. If it’s not right, I’m going to advise him not to fight. None,” said Warren when asked what the chances are of Fury having another fight before he faces Wilder in the rematch. “Not unless the fight gets pushed back, then that would be a different scenario. What would you want to take that risk for? It’s pointless,” said Warren.
With the cut that Fury had, he needs to think about putting the rematch with Wilder off until November or December of 2020. It’s the type of cut that could open as soon as it’s hit by Wilder.
Wallin didn’t get Fury at his best says Warren
“He [Wallin] didn’t get Tyson at his best, because he was impaired,” said Warren to Boxing Social about Fury. “Had he been his best, he might have stopped him. I don’t know. But the fact of the matter is you can’t knock that guy as an opponent. The cut by the time he got back to his dressing room, it had stopped bleeding, and that was it. The cuts awful, but because of the blood it looks much worse than it is,” said Warren.
Fury didn’t look at all good against Wallin, and the cut had nothing to do with it. His mobility was gone, power nonexistent, and he looked over-trained. If this wasn’t an issue of Fury being over-trained, then it’s possible that he’s starting to decline from the damage he took in his fight with Wilder last December.
Is Fury shot?
The performance we saw from Fury against Wallin was that of a fighter that is no longer the guy that once was. If it was an issue with him being overtrained, then Fury needs to give his trainer Ben Davison the boot, and look for someone else. But if this is as good as it gets for Fury, then he’s going to be wiped out by Wilder in the rematch, be it in February or whenever.
Whoever trains Fury for the Wilder rematch, they need to keep an eye on him to see how well he’s doing against the sparring partners. If he’s getting bounced around by his sparring mates, his trainer needs to consider telling him to cash out, and retire.