Thursday, October 14, 2021

The boxing world is looking for the “bear killer”
Who will stop madman Tyson Fury?

By Martin Armbruster

Who is going to stop this Tyson Fury? This is a question that worries the boxing world after the heavyweight champion’s epic victory over Deontay Wilder. It’s a good question. If Fury’s father is successful, there is only one worthy challenger to the “Gypsy King”.

Doug Fischer turned out to be a psychic. “Deontay Wilder can send Tyson Fury to the ground,” prophesied boxing bible editor “The Ring” ahead of the heavyweight rivals battle in Las Vegas. “But he can’t hold it back.” This is exactly how it happened. In front of 15,000 enthusiastic spectators in the T-Mobile arena, Fury once again revealed his unlikely, almost supernatural ability to take and recover from devastating blows.

“Bronze Bomber” Wilder – for some boxing experts the toughest knockout in history – knocked him down twice in the fourth round. On two occasions, the 2.06-meter giant stretched out from the island, stretched his long bones, fully “tasted” the referee’s count. Shook himself. And retaliate without mercy. “I was fully aware. I saw the referee counting ‘three, four’. I was still there,” Fury said after the show. “But I never thought, ‘Okay, that’s it.’ I thought, ‘Okay, well, but I’ll have you in a minute.'”

Urged on by the ground visits, Fury remembered his second great gift besides taking – giving. And how he gave. From the fifth round, the “Gypsy King” mercilessly smashed his opponent. With his left guide hand in the form of a mass. With his right hand, whether as a long straight line, as a cross, or as a hook halfway. In the Infight, in which he keeps hitting Wilder, squarely crushing the American with his 277 pounds (125.6 kilograms) and sucking up his last reserves of energy like a vampire.

From premature baby to bear

In the eleventh round, Fury’s right paw struck for the last time. Decisive. Definitive. The way Wilder fell to the ground leaves no questions unanswered. The trilogy of great rivals is decided, the chapter is closed. As so often before, Fury kept his word, bringing his arrogant and screaming announcements to life in the ring. He was the “grizzly” he had promised. A man’s bear who walks endlessly and gets up even when a cannon ball hits him. Even more: an agile grizzly. Someone who may seem awkward, but moves surprisingly light in the ring.

That’s the fascinating thing about this Tyson Luke Fury, who was born three months earlier as a premature baby and raised to be a bear. Fury is a complete boxing package that has never been seen before in the heavyweight division. A 2.06-meter colossus who moves so fast and so easily, who boxes so well, who’s in such bad shape and then an iron hard chin – it almost borders on the distortion of the competition.

What’s next with Fury? Who can stop the “Gypsy King”? According to the statutes of the WBC, Fury must then defend his title against the winner of the duel between Dillian Whyte (England) and Otto Wallin (Sweden). Whyte – a mighty, clumsy boxer – seems to have no chance against fist fighting mastermind Fury. After all, Wallin fought a bloody battle against a weakened Fury in September 2019, giving the world champion a deep cut. Revenge could be sold halfway, although the far north southpaw against Fury in his normal form should see little ground.

And Anthony Joshua? The darling of the British ring has long been considered a potential “bear killer”. After Joshua’s clear loss to Oleksandr Usyk, it takes a lot of imagination to imagine that “AJ” will seriously trouble Fury. Either way, Joshua needs to collect his WBA, WBO and IBF world championship belts at Usyk in the spring of 2022 to be able to fight Fury.

Papa Fury has a clear wish

If Fury’s father is successful, there is only one worthy opponent for his son after the Wilder Saga ends. “To me it’s Oleksandr Usyk or nothing. I wouldn’t bother with the others, they don’t all have Tyson’s class,” “Big” John Fury said at BT Sports.

The Gypsy Senior is probably right. The Ukrainian is absolutely exceptional talent, uncomfortable boxing like a southpaw, and his personality is probably the only one immune to Fury’s psychological games, the “Gypsy King” mental warfare. However, Usyk is also six inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter than Fury. To kill the bear, he would have to dance 12 turns, in and out of the man, avoiding every melee, every internal fight. A colossal task.

“A good fat boxer beats a good little boxer,” says old boxing wisdom. Does a really good big guy beat a really good little guy? Fury vs. Usyk – the ultimate (counter) evidence. And besides, the undisputed world heavyweight championship would also be at stake.