By Bill Patrice Jones: Somewhat ironically, despite the backlash against David Haye following his unanimous decision loss to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg, there appears to be growing enthusiasm for the current crop of young domestic heavyweight prospects in Britain.
This enthusiasm is no doubt a result of both the sheer number of prospects, as well as the unquestionable lack of worthy challengers to the Klitschko brothers. It seems fans and sportswriters alike are becoming far more willing to look towards the divisions young prospects as opposed to the more established contenders, many of whom have already been defeated by one of the Klitschko brothers. David Haye is still unquestionably the best heavyweight from Britain, and one of the top 5 heavyweights in the world.
However, given his somewhat tenuous promise of a retirement this October, few imagine he will remain in boxing for anything other than another mega money showdown with one of the Klitschko brothers. If David Haye decided to express some interest in facing off against other top 10 fighters in order to re-establish himself, there is no doubt he would instantly become the biggest news in the U.K again. The problem is that, for all of his talent, Haye has been persistently reluctant to consider facing anybody other than the Klitschko brothers in his quest for recognition. In this climate no one can blame sportscasters in Britain for looking elsewhere. Leading the line are undefeated British and commonwealth champion Tyson Fury, recently deposed champion Dereck Chisora, and unbeaten Bronze medallist David Price. Though other domestic fighters still believe they have something to offer, only the aforementioned three can really be said to have potential world title aspirations.
Last Saturday at Wembley arena Tyson Fury secured the most important win of his career so far when he scored a clear unanimous decision over Dereck Chisora for the British and commonwealth titles. The result of that fight may very well prove to be a decisive factor in shaping the future careers of both men. Chisora entered the ring as the clear betting favourite, with many fans anticipating a brutal knockout loss for the undefeated giant. The stakes for the fight couldn’t really have been higher. Wladimir Klitschko had expressed interest in offering the winner a title shot, and it was unclear precisely where the loser would be left for the immediate future.
Fury started the fight very brightly; he established his jab and soon felt confident enough to tee off with the right hand. Chisora immediately looked uncomfortable and surprised at his opponent’s confidence and punch output. By the end of the round Fury was smiling at Chisora contemptuously. Following orders from his corner Dereck came out much more aggressively in the second and hurt Fury with a looping left hook. It seemed momentarily as though Chisora would be able to chop down the giant, however his success was fleeting. Fury recovered and was back on top by the midway point of the third round. From that point on the fight provided several exciting stanzas, but generally followed a consistent pattern. Chisora’s conditioning, or lack thereof, inhibited him from launching any sustained attacks. Fury meanwhile became accustomed to soaking up the pressure when necessary. The judges’ scorecards at the end of the fight seemed a little generous; in fairness it was hard to make a case for Chisora winning any more than three rounds. Fury’s punch numbers, shot selection and jab eventually created a wide margin between himself and his opponent. Although Chisora came to life in the tenth bouncing off the ropes with his biggest combination of the night, he was left largely demoralized and frustrated. There was no question as to who was the victor at the final bell. Fury had won, and much to people’s surprise he had done so decisively.
For Dereck Chisora Saturday’s performance and result was an unmitigated disaster. Twice on the verge of climbing into the ring with Wladimir Klitschko for a career best payday, the possibility of such a showdown ever occurring now seems remote at best. Chisora entered the fight as the favourite in most people’s eyes, and the manner in which he was beaten will raise serious questions about his ability to become a world championship boxer. Dereck does have ability, and the hype surrounding him over the past couple of years has not been totally unfounded. He is strong, durable, and usually effective at stalking his opponents over the course of a fight. Some will put his defeat down to his poor physical condition. Yet even if this were true, the very fact that Chisora exhibited such a lack of discipline by coming into one of his most important fights at a career heavy sheds serious doubt on his ability to make it at world level. Although he has been compared by some to the durable former world champion Glen Johnson, if you watch Chisora closely you see that he most resembles the three time Klitschko victim Samuel Peter. Chisora is built like Peter, and also likes to bully his opponents back with looping punches. The problem is Dereck lacks the power, durability or toughness of a young Peter. If this is the case, one can wonder just what chance he would have stood against Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. Right now Chisora looks like a fighter who has temporarily lost his desire. Perhaps demoralized by the Klitschko fight cancellations, Dereck has abandoned one of his most important traits; solid conditioning. He took Saturday’s fight too lightly and paid a hefty price. He needs to rededicate himself to the sport, and rebuild against other domestic challengers.
If there’s one man for whom Saturday’s result was no surprise, it is the immensely confident new British and commonwealth champion Tyson Fury. In the weeks running up to the fight Fury told various media outlets that he was treating Chisora like a world champion, and had no doubt he would outclass him on fight night. Fury’s increased determination and improved conditioning have paid off massively. In just a short few years he has come a very long way from the somewhat clumsy fighter who was walked through repeatedly by John McDermott. There are three sides to Fury’s recent improvements: Conditioning, experience and confidence. Although still carrying some puppy fat Fury has certainly sharpened his physique since he first turned professional. His stamina and strength unquestionably need to be moved up a notch if he is ever going to be ready for world title fights; nonetheless, the signs are encouraging. Where Fury also deserves praise is in his willingness to travel and test himself. The time Fury has spent sparring with the Klitschko brothers, and training with Emmanuel Steward has sharpened his fundamentals, and changed his outlook. Against Chisora, Fury had a far greater command of his size and reach than was the case two years ago. His jab was much more consistent, and he set up his punches much more smoothly. To call Fury anything other than a work in progress would be foolish at this stage. The encouraging signs though can be found in Fury’s current outlook. He is under no illusions about how far off fighting a Klitschko brother he is, and is more than willing to travel around the world to improve his craft. Fury would do very well to secure some exciting fights in America against faded former world champions like Hasim Rahman and Shannon Briggs. Such fights would provide fireworks; generate fan interest and position Fury for challenging for the European title.
The current heavyweight field has come under scrutiny so often in recent years; it bears no relevance going over the same ground again. There are myriad reasons why many feel no enthusiasm for anything on the horizon. After all if you saw David Haye as the only true logical challenge to the Klitschko brothers then what are you left with now? Such cynicism though is a self fulfilling prophecy. Fans and writers alike need to appreciate that we have two exceptionally dominant champions and that beating them will require something special, and a little good fortune along the way. With that in mind we have no choice but to try and invest interest in any up and coming potential wherever it is found.