by James Slater – When British heavyweights Tyson Fury and John McDermott met last September, the fight – or the official score the completed ten-rounder received – became one of the most controversial of the year. As fans know, Referee and sole Judge Terry O’Connor awarded the unbeaten Fury with a wide, 98-92 points victory – this after a fight that had been largely bossed by “Big Bad John.”
Fans and people involved were angry, and after a short time The BBB of C ordered a rematch.. Finally, after a number of postponements, this return takes place this coming Friday night in 30-year-old McDermott’s hometown of Brentwood in Essex – and this time, with the fight being scheduled for 12-rounds as it is a final eliminator for the British title, there will be three scoring officials. This means, then, that we will have a far more balanced set of scores if the bout indeed goes the distance once again.
However, as he said in an interview with Echo Sport, McDermott, 25-6(16) feels the fight may well end via a stoppage in his favour.
McDermott began by talking about the dissatisfaction he felt after that bad decision he was on the end of last year.
“I was too brave, strong, tough and fit for Fury the first time, but they still took it from me,” McDermott said. “It’s a real letdown when you’ve given something everything for 12 weeks and have had a fantastic fight only for the referee to take it off you. I beat Danny Williams hands down the first time (in July of 2008) and I get sick of it [being robbed] sometimes. I train hard and really try.
“When I get in there I’m gutsy and will fight to the end and this time I know I’m completely ready. I’m glad there will be three judges but I’m not planning for this fight to go the distance.”
Not a terribly big puncher – as his 16 KO’s show – it would be something of a shock if McDermott were to halt the heavily hyped 22-year-old. Back in September, the older man cracked Fury with some good shots to the head and chin, yet he never really looked like putting him over. But will McDermott again dominate the majority of the action? And if he does, will the three judges reward his effective aggression with a win?
I’m not sure McDermott, who hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to receiving points decisions, could stand another bad one going against him. Nor do I think his promoter, Frank Maloney (who suffered a heart attack a few hours after last year’s fight), could take more bad luck either.
The action was good to watch last September, and we could be in for another exciting battle on Friday. McDermott says he is not planning on going the distance to win, but, for what it’s worth, I feel we will see a second distance fight. The big question is how much has Fury, 10-0(8) improved, if any, since last time? If the 6’7″ wannabe star, who has been switching trainers as of late, can put on a better performance than he did nine months ago, McDermott could be in trouble.
If, however, Fury is just the same and has learnt nothing new, it will be McDermott’s night. If he gets a fair shake from the judges, that is!