July 2011 by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) – This week’s 133rd edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury (14-0, 10 KOs) who is scheduled to have a highly anticipated showdown against Dereck Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) on July 23 at the Wembley Arena. Fury spoke about his upcoming fight, and also touched on a variety of other topics including the Klitschko brothers, David Haye, Tomasz Adamek, and more! Here is what he had to say:
His views on his upcoming July 23 matchup against Dereck Chisora:
“I feel great about it. I’ve been wanting this fight for quite a long time. So it’s finally arrived and I’m already 100% ready as I’m ever going to be.”
On how he feels the future will look for the winner of the fight between him and Chisora:
“The future looks bright for the winner of this fight. Klitschko’s shown a lot of interest in fighting the winner, but if I win then I won’t be fighting Klitschko right away. I’m 22 years old. I’ve only had 14 fights. So I think with that thinking we should start slow. If we do get to it straight to it, in a few years we won’t be able to beat him so I’m going to take another six maybe ten fights against top level opponents, Americans. We’ll see where we go from there really. I’ve got plenty of time! Good things come to those who wait, no rush!”
His views on why so many observers seem to be favoring Chisora against him:
“Maybe they think he may be a better fighter, I think that the people might think he’s a better fighter. He’s tougher, stronger, more powerful, better chin? I don’t know! I don’t know why they think he’s a better fighter than me, but all will be revealed. It doesn’t really matter what opinions are getting said, and who thinks who is a better fighter, and who thinks who’s going win. We’ll see in two weeks time.”
Regarding whether he wishes he was working with Emanuel Steward for the biggest fight in his career thus far when he faces Chisora:
“To be honest this is not the biggest fight of my career. I think Dereck Chisora is a bum, and that’s the God’s honest truth! I don’t see him as a specifically tough challenge, and this is my personal opinion as everyone’s got their own opinion. I think Dereck Chisora is a bum, he’s no good, and he’s not going to be a challenge! So I think this is just a walk in the park fight for me. Emanuel’s not going to be in the corner. I haven’t worked with Emanuel since a couple of fights ago. I’ll be working with my Uncle Huey again. He’s been doing really well for me, so I think I’ll just keep working with him.”
Regarding when and how the rivalry between him and Chisora had first started:
“I’ve been calling Dereck Chisora out from the very beginning of my career. After two fights I wanted to fight Dereck Chisora. Dereck Chisora is a novice. He has 14 professional fights and he had about 20 amateur fights. Just because someone was going to fight someone one time, he was going to fight Klitschko in a voluntary defense because Klitschko knew he could beat him up easily, he’s gotten a lot of credit and a high ranking for that. Rankings and credit means nothing! If you can fight you can fight, and if you can’t you can’t, and I do believe Chisora can’t fight because he hasn’t fought anyone. He’s fought a washed up Danny Williams and a Sam Sexton he had already beaten before. I just see him as an easy challenge. He’s 6’1”, 17 stone. He doesn’t possess massive power, he doesn’t possess a great work rate, and he doesn’t possess anything that can beat me. I believe I’m the best heavyweight in Britain, including David Haye, and I’m going to show it in two weeks time.”
Whether he dislikes Chisora more for the person he is outside the ring or the fighter he is inside the ring:
“No it’s not the fighter. I’ve got a lot of respect for all fighters because it takes a great man to get in the ring in one-on-one combat with another. But I just don’t like his attitude. He thinks he’s the greatest. When he goes around London he thinks he’s like P. Diddy. He thinks he’s the man, but really he’s not. He’s just an overhyped bum! Really that’s all he is, and after I’m finished with him he won’t be able t show his face in England again or anywhere else for that matter, because I’m going to humiliate him and make him look like the bum that he is.”
His views on the fact that his fight against Chisora will be available for purchase in the United States on pay-per-view:
“Yes, it’s great! It’s a good opportunity to get on the pay-per-view in the United States. I’m just hoping I perform well on the night. I’ve done all my training and hopefully I’ll showcase my skills live on pay-per-view television in the United States. It’s a great, great audience and I hope they like me, which I’m sure they will because my style is aggressive. I’m not the type of person to tap around. I’m all action!”
His views on the fact that most observers picking Chisora to win site his ‘experience’ as the main reason and whether he agrees that Chisora has an experience edge:
“I don’t see why they’re on about experience, because he’s got 14 pro fights and I’ve got 14 pro fights, and I’ve fought the tougher opponents out of us so I’d say I’m more experienced as a professional. I’d also say he had about 20 amateur fights and he boxed one time at an international level and he got beat. I had 36 amateur fights. I was European Union amateur champion. I beat the top representative from America. I’m experienced at the world international level as an amateur and I’ve had tougher pro fights, so I don’t know why they see experience. Maybe he’s done a lot of sparring, but I don’t see him as experienced at all.”
His views on the type of effort David Haye put forth in his unification loss against Wladimir Klitschko:
“Well to be honest with you, I’ve not got a lot to say about David Haye apart from he’s not a proper fighter, is he? He’s basically a bit of a gay fighter as I’ve said. Nothing against gays, but if there was ever a gay fighter David Haye would be one. He showed nothing! He had all the talk beforehand and he went in there and acted like a bitch! It’s what he really is, and that’s all I can say about him. If he wants to fight let’s get it on! After Chisora I’m taking on all comers, so it’s no problem.”
His views on the upcoming fight between Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamak:
“Well Tomasz Adamek is too small, just like David Haye was and just like Dereck Chisora is going to be! All these 6’1” heavyweights and 15 stoners, they’re just no good! They’re good, but they’re not like Evander Holyfield was. The heavyweights today are too big, and he struggled against Kevin McBride. Kevin McBride is a lot worse than Vitali Klitschko. He doesn’t seem to have the firepower to hurt these big heavyweights, 18 stones, 6’7”, 6’8”. I see Klitschko destroying him! He’s too small!”
On what it would mean to him to win the heavyweight version of both the British Boxing Board of Control title and the British Commonwealth title should he beat Chisora:
“Yeah, it would mean a hell of a lot to me! I grew up with these titles and watching people boxing for them. It’s a great honor for me to fight for my national title, and everything will be on the line. I won’t stop. The only way to beat me in that ring is to kill me, because I ain’t going to stop for twelve rounds. I’m going to be at him, at him, at him all night! I do believe I will succeed. I’m too big for him, too strong for him, and too fast for him. As they say, a good big one will always beat a good little one and I’m a good big one on this occasion.”
Regarding what makes him think he will be able to compete with the Klitschko brothers somewhere down the line:
“Well I don’t want to be a fighter to build up the numbers, just make up the numbers, and go to Hamburg, and fight one of the Klitschkos, and have ten minutes of glory, and come back and have lost on points. I don’t want to be that type of person. I want to be experienced enough with high level opposition, I want to have the right preparation, and I want to be a mandatory challenger. I don’t want to be a voluntary to go to Hamburg or wherever they want to take it. It will have to be a purse bid with a proper organization. I do believe that when the times comes I will win, because it’s my destiny to become the heavyweight champion of the world, and not only do that, but to win all the belts and unify the full division and take on all comers.”
His views on what it would take to beat a Klitschko given the fact neither brother has been seriously challenged in some time:
“Yeah, because no one is actually willing to challenge them. That’s why. Now I’m only young. I’ve had 14 fights here, but I could give Wladimir Klitschko hell in high water right now! The fact is I get into it. I fight it. None of the last ten opponents since Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster knocked him out, nobody else has ever went forward and went at him. They’ve always stood back and tried to counter and be happy to just to get through the fight with both of the brothers. Now I do believe if someone goes to them, who’s bigger than they are, and just as quick and powerful, they’re going to have problems. I believe there is nobody else in the world apart from me that can do that to these guys, because I’m a naturally bigger man than both of them. My fighting style is aggressive, aggressive, aggressive. I don’t back off and I won’t let Wladimir lay back on me and just work his jab all night long. I’ve been boxing all of my life and if I can’t get past the jab, just like David Haye couldn’t, I must be useless because how do you become a world heavyweight champion and get beat by a jab?
It’s impossible! One jab can’t beat a man who’s a world champion! Obviously it did David Haye, but I’m not David Haye. I’m a lot bigger, I’m better, and a more aggressive fighter than David Haye will ever know how to be. So I would say that I could beat both Klitschkos without a problem when I’m experienced enough. When I’m ready, my time will come and I will shine. I will win the heavyweight championship of the world, and I will unify all the belts, and I will be the greatest heavyweight in my era. I do believe this is my era to come, just like Muhammad Ali had his era, Lennox Lewis has had his, and now the Klitschkos have had theirs, but time waits for no man! It’s a young man’s sport and the Klitschkos are getting on now, and in a couple of years or 18 months when I’m ready, when my team thinks that I’m ready to win and fight these guys and not just go there to lose, then I will be ready and I’ll go there and I’ll win. One will be over 40 and one will be close to 40. As I’ve said, time waits for no man and this is going to be my era. The Klitschkos have had theirs, and when Tyson Fury fights for the heavyweight championship of the world he will win it and do everyone proud who watches.”
On what areas of his game he still feels need improvement for him to have his best chance at being successful against the Klitschkos:
“Yeah, actually to work on my stand up boxing because I’ve got a terrible problem of getting caught in fights. I’m so tall, I’m 6’9” and I weigh 18.5 stones, but I don’t use my height enough as I should do. I get drawn into a fight, not because they’re drawing me in, just because I love to fight. I love in close fighting and I should have been 6’1” and then that would have been perfect for my style of fighting. But because now I’m learning to stand up tall and box, much like the Klitschkos, but with more flare and more movement and athleticism. I’ll be unstoppable when I really get it to a tee, and it only comes by experience. I don’t know how many rounds, maybe I’ve had 130 rounds of boxing in my full career. I don’t know. It’s something like that, maybe not even that. I just need the experience and the training. These guys have got a hell of a long time on me. I’m 22. These guys are like 36 and one’s 40. So by the time I’m ready, then I should be really ready. Even the prospects that are coming up, they’re all like nearly 30, 31. So I’ve got plenty of time. One thing God’s given me is time. I’ve got a good heart to keep going and a good brain to keep learning.”
His views on what Dereck Chisora could do that may possibly give him trouble in their fight:
“Well he doesn’t do anything that I’ve not seen before. The guy is 6’1”. He weighs 17.5 stone. He moves his head a bit. He comes forward and he swings shots. He’ll be a game fighter for a few rounds until he gets sickened and then I think I’ll just take over, but it’s just about size. The size factor alone, I have like eight inches in height, a lot of inches in reach, and I have a couple of stone in weight as well, so the size factor is just going to be too much as it is. If I were a terrible boxer and I was just so big as well as I am, then I think the size would still give him massive problems because he struggles against bigger fellows. But because I’m not a rubbish boxer and I can also box as well, then I don’t see him giving me any problems to be honest. He moves his head a bit. That’s the only problem he can give anyone. He’ll try and be aggressive and come forward, but what heavyweight who is that size and weight doesn’t come forward and move their head and swing punches. All heavyweights can punch hard, because they’re big men, aren’t they? So obviously if they get you on the chin it’s going to hurt. I don’t see any threats. I don’t see anything that he can do. He can’t change his style because he’s got that one style. He couldn’t like outbox me because I’m a lot taller than him and he’d get caught before I would. So he has to come forward and for him to come forward, he has to come through my heavy artillery to get forward and to get in close, and when he gets in close I’m just going to spin him off back on the jab. So I don’t see a threat from Dereck Chisora at all.”
His views on how a loss against Chisora would impact his career:
“My career would be over! If I can’t beat Dereck Chisora I have no right being a professional boxer, because if I can’t beat Chisora I’m going nowhere. I see Chisora as a bum, so if I lose to Chisora I’m an even bigger bum, so I’m definitely going to pack it in and try a different job.”
His official prediction for his upcoming fight with Dereck Chisora:
“Well I see him coming forward at me, trying to get in close, and working away on the inside as he always does. I see me standing up tall, working a nice jab, smacking his face in with a jab, hitting him with some big heavy shots, frustrating him, getting him aggravated so he comes swinging forward, and I’ll hit him, and hurt him, and knock him out. I see Dereck Chisora not going past nine rounds at all.”