Veteran boxing writer Colin Hart has been covering the sport for decades and he has seen many of the great ones live: including Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and others. Hart writes his regular column for UK tabloid ‘The Sun,’ and in his latest instalment the octogenarian heaps a ton of praise on reigning and unbeaten lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
Sure to get plenty of fan attention, Hart’s claim is that Fury is the “most skilled heavyweight since Larry Holmes in the 1970s.” Hart says that, with his brilliant win over Wladimir Klitschko three years ago, and with his December 1st performance against the lethal-punching Deontay Wilder, Fury deserves such lofty praise – even if Fury is no knockout-king.
“Heavyweight boxing has always thrived on knockouts. But Fury proved against Wladimir Klitschko, and more so with Wilder, that in the right hands the skill factor can be just as rewarding and exciting,” Hart writes in his column. “Fury showed he not only has the tools to out-think and outbox Wilder and Anthony Joshua he has the courage to go with it. The film of him getting up in the last round after Wilder detonated his right hand bomb and following left hook will be shown again and again for years to come.”
It’s undeniable that what Fury managed to do in that final round of the Wilder fight was very special, and it’s also true that Fury, at approx 6’9,” is a fine boxer, with excellent movement and, as Hart says, a fine boxing brain. That said, is he really the most skilled big man since the 1970’s Holmes? Better and more skilled than Lennox Lewis? Riddick Bowe? An in shape Buster Douglas?
The Holmes comparison perhaps comes due to the fact that, like Fury did against Wilder, Holmes was able to come back from apparent KO defeat; Larry doing it against Earnie Shavers and Renaldo Snipes. But is Fury as skilled as Holmes was? Larry’s jab was far superior to Tyson’s, and “The Easton Assassin” had a far more concussive right hand behind it. Holmes’ footwork was arguably better than Fury’s, too.
The thing about Holmes is, he showed his greatness in a number of fights, not just two, and Holmes fought the best, consistently, over a number of years. Fury is clearly the real deal, but it’s a good bet many fans will suggest Hart has gone just a little too far in saying what he has said about “The Gypsy King.” What we can all agree with Hart on is the fact that Fury “can look forward to some more big fights and huge pay-days” next year.
If Fury can defeat Wilder in a rematch, and then Joshua and then a couple of other guys, then perhaps we can compare him with the truly great Larry Holmes. Fury has time on his side, what with him being just 30 years old.