by James Slater – Unbeaten British heavyweight hope Tyson Fury earned the right to challenge British champion Derek Chisora in his last fight, when he sucked it up in a hot and humid arena to halt John McDermott in their anticipated rematch. However, it seems the 21-year-old, who improved to 11-0(9) with the 9th-round TKO over “Big Bad John,” will be taking on an American name in his next fight instead of going right after Chisora.
As Boxing News Online has exclusively revealed, the plan being worked on now is for the 6’8″ giant to face New York tough guy Vinny Maddalone in his next outing; most likely in August.. So far, there has been no mention of a venue for the prospective fight, therefore we don’t know if Fury will make his U.S debut or not. However, in the past, the fan-favourite from Queens has spoken of his desire to box in England, and maybe Vinny will agree to come over to fight the heavily hyped Brit.
Fury confirmed to Boxing News that it is looking like 36-year-old Maddalone, 33-6(24), next.
“They’re talking about of for August,” Fury said of the Maddalone clash. “Showtime said they’ll televise it. Maddalone is like [John] McDermott but a bit better – these Americans are a bit more slippery. But hopefully I’ll smash him up and then move on.”
Maddalone, who has rumbled with some good men and some very good men – such as Evander Holyfield, Brian Minto, Jean Marc Mormeck and Denis Boystov – will represent a step up for Fury – and his toughness, gameness and raw punching power will make sure he at the very least tests the still-learning 21-year-old. Still, “slippery” is not a description one would use to describe Vinny’s fighting approach! Tough as nails, yes, but slippery, as in hard to hit? No.
The possible involvement of Showtime T.V is interesting, and this fight does have “made-for-T.V” written all over it. Maddalone may not be all that hard to hit but, as McDermott has twice proven, neither is Fury. This one could well be bombs away as a result.
Maddalone, who has been stopped just three times as a pro – twice by Minto and by Holyfield most recently – has had the experience of fighting in Europe quite recently. In late 2008 he travelled to Germany to take the unbeaten Boytsov the distance (winning over the local fans in the process due to his all-action style), then, after picking up a 4th-round TKO win in New York, he travelled to France to take on former cruiser champ Mormeck in December of last year. Once again losing on points, Maddalone had his man looking tired in the later rounds.
In his last fight, back in March, the former tough man fighter stopped Dominique Alexander in the 5th-round, in New Jersey. Always in the gym and always in great shape as a result, it will be most interesting to hear what Vinny has to say about the possibly of him getting it on with the most talked about young heavyweight in Britain.