As fight fans may have read, Tyson Fury, ahead of this Saturday night’s heavily hyped clash with MMA giant Francis Ngannou (are you feeling the urge to purchase the pay-per-view yet??) stated how he is looking to “sign another ten-fight deal” after he deals the with former UFC heavyweight champion in the fight dubbed “Battle of the Baddest.”
Fury, who also added, in his own colourful way, that the sport of boxing will “be f****d” when he’s gone, retired, done, may or may not be telling the truth – on both counts. Firstly, we know Fury – who at one point in time couldn’t stop announcing his retirement – changes his mind on what must be a daily basis, therefore the 35 year old may genuinely feel like fighting on for years to come today, but he may change his tune tomorrow. We just don’t know.
And as for the boxing will “be f****d” when Fury is gone, will it really? Fury has a huge army of loyal fans, no doubt, and these people will miss him when he’s gone. On the flip side, there are critics who have been very, well, critical of the way Fury has swerved some big fights in favour of a needless trilogy fight with Derek Chisora, and the “event” we are getting, from a primed and peaking WBC heavyweight champion, this Saturday.
Fury, who hasn’t had a “real fight” since his April 2022 mandatory defence against an outclassed Dillian Whyte, has basically wasted 18 months of his prime years, this being time he will not get again. In doing so, Fury’s critics have said he has pretty much “held the WBC title to ransom.” Instead of fighting Chisora and Ngannou, Fury could have/should have fought Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, along with a top contender or two. It’s not all Fury’s fault that these fights didn’t happen, but at the same time, did Fury, 33-0-1(24) really do all he could to try and make these fights happen?
Some more vocal Fury critics (he calls them “haters” or “dream crushers”) have said the heavyweight division will be a whole lot better off when he’s gone. Some fans feel Fury’s incredibly hard-nosed, egotistical behaviour at the so-called negotiating table (Fury making demands, and quite silly and outrageous ones in the opinion of his critics) has hurt the sport quite badly. It’s fair to say, there will be plenty of people who will have a ‘good riddance’ attitude when Fury is gone.
Then there’s Fury’s excitement value. Is Fury an all-time great crowd pleaser? Some of Fury’s fights have been great entertainment – his three fights with Deontay Wilder, his earlier career fight with Steve Cunningham, while his bloody tussle with Otto Wallin carried some drama. But look at the stinkers, the absolute stinkers Fury has given us during his career – the almost unwatchable Wladimir Klitschko fight, the second and third Chisora fights, the Tom Schwarz mismatch.
Will you find yourself yearning for a Fury fight in around, well, who knows, two to six years from now? Or will the best get to fighting the best again at heavyweight, with no silliness, no seemingly insurmountable ego messing things up at that negotiating table when Fury has exited the game?
For now, let’s see what kind of a show, if any, Fury can give us on Saturday night. Because, rest assured, whatever Francis Ngannou tries to tell you, it WILL be Tyson Fury’s show on October 28.
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