Former super middleweight champion George Groves feels that Tyson Fury is beginning to show signs of physical aging and wear & tear from his many fights in his 16-year career.
Fury’s recent performance against Francis Ngannou highlighted his physical decline. He struggled and was knocked down by the novice and fortune to win a decision.
Groves notes that the legs aren’t what they once were for the 35-year-old Fury, and the worrying thing is, he’s entertaining into the toughest point of his career on the verge of facing IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on May 18th.
If Fury wins, he could face knockout artist Anthony Joshua next, and it could end badly for him by getting knocked cold the way Ngannou was by AJ last Friday.
The kind of physical deterioration that Fury is exhibiting can’t be fixed by his trainer SugarHill Steward, or going to a rejuvenating health resort, drinking special water, hoping that it can restore his lost youth.
There is no magic formula for turning back the years to transform Fury into the 19-year-old he was when he first turned pro.
Wear and Tear a Concern
“Fury, maybe the legs are a little bit older now and a little bit tougher and a little bit harder,” said George Groves on The Verdict YouTube channel, talking about Tyson Fury getting older, looking vulnerable, and his chances against Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
There’s no “maybe” about it. Fury’s legs are a lot older now, and the training is obviously harder for him than it was before. He hasn’t helped himself by getting fat in between fights and by wasting precious time with his matches against Dereck Chisora and Dillian Whyte and three clashes against Deontay Wilder.
If Fury had just gone straight to Anthony Joshua in 2018, he’d stand a better chance of beating him than he does now, with his legs gone and age creeping in.
Now, Fury is a sitting duck for Joshua’s devasting right-hand power shots in the same way Ngannou was last Friday.
“If he goes through with that fight against Usyk, that might take its toll on him,” said Groves. “People are talking about the Deontay Wilder fights catching up with Fury now. He’s had a long career, operated at the top, and dealt with the pressures of that.”
Fury is will get hit a lot by Usyk, and even if he wins, he will come out of that fight looking like a soldier who had been on the frontlines too long. Usyk is going to put some wear & tear on Fury, and he’s not going to be going into a clash against Joshua at his physical peak.
“Of course, he’s been in and out of shape during that time as well, which isn’t ideal,” Groves continued about Fury. “If them two [Fury and Joshua] schedule to fight in the next three months, you would think that Fury would have the skill to not get hit.
The Joshua Factor
“Anthony Joshua wouldn’t be able to land the right hands on Fury like he landed against Ngannou, but maybe he will. If he hits Fury, he certainly hurts him. He’s definitely capable of getting rid of him,” said Groves.
Joshua will have no problem landing his shots on Fury, especially now that his legs are gone, and he’s just a stationary fighter looking to hold. The way Fury fights now, he might not make it out of the first round against Joshua if AJ fights like he did against Ngannou.
“Fury has been down many, many times in his career. He’s always bounced back up, and even that shot that Ngannou knocks him down. He gets caught, and he tries to catch himself,” said Groves.
“I think Joshua is in much better form than Fury, and obviously, since the Ngannou fight. A year before that, he [Fury] was boxing a subpar Dereck Chisora.
“Many times Fury hasn’t looked brilliant, but he’s dined out on those Wilder wins. Maybe I’d pick Joshua to beat Fury right now,” said Groves.
