Tyson Fury: Q&A, Part II

ITV.com13th April, 2009

Big Tyson Fury wasn't messing around at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on Saturday night when he took out Matthew Ellis in just 48 seconds.

That made it five wins on the spin for Fury with all those victories coming inside schedule.

The 20-year-old from Manchester will continue his ring apprenticeship later this month when he boxes on the big Carl Froch-Jermain Taylor bill in the US.

However he is already looking to take on the top boys in Britain and as Fury tells Derek Bilton in the second part of his exclusive interview with ITV Sport he is convinced that he'd now be too much for former amateur rival and fellow pro prospect David Price while he also gives his views on David Haye's forthcoming heavyweight title challenge against Wladimir Klitschko.

ITV: Another British heavyweight, David Haye, has been in the news recently after signing to fight Wladimir Klitschko. How are you calling that fight and could you see yourself in with the winner a few years down the line?

TF: You know what this fight reminds me of? Vitali Klitschko against Herbie Hide a few years ago. I can see a repeat of that. Both men are big punchers and both are chinny. This is the heavyweight division and trust me everyone can punch. It makes me laugh when people talk about heavyweights being 'non-punchers'. It's a myth. Believe me if a trained heavyweight catches you, you are going to know about it. It's a good fight and Haye has achieved a lot and I respect what he has done at cruiserweight and that but for me he has no chin whatsoever and I can see him getting exposed to be honest. Despite his achievements I don't see him as a 'proper' fighter. Don't get me wrong he can punch but at the top level you can't go swimming without getting wet and I think Klitschko is knocking him out.

ITV: Your eagerness to get in with some decent British names is refreshing having already called out the likes of Sam Sexton among others. John Ingle is quoted in Boxing News as saying it's been a nightmare trying to get you matched. How soon are you hoping to be challenging for say a British title?

TF: If I could fight for it in the morning I would. And I mean that. Fighters should fight in my view and I don't agree with the way some men are so protected. I have been calling out fellas like Sexton and Derek Chisora, volunteering to fight them on their own patch if I have to. But at the minute nobody wants to know and it's frustrating. But my time will come.

ITV: Your big amateur rival David Price has also turned over recently and I know you are eager to settle a few scores with him. If you met down the line how confident are you that you;d reverse that defeat he inflicted on you in the amateurs.

TF: You know what, when I fought him I was a raw 17-year-old kid. He was 23 or something like that. I'd had 10 bouts and he'd had 70. He was a Commonwealth champion and had won all sorts while I was a novice. Again it was down to me not being able to get any fights so I jumped in with him. I don't know whether you have seen the fight but he was the only one who ended up on the floor and I was trying to catch him with big hooks while his style was totally suited to the amateurs. As somebody said to me after if I was a double ABA champion, a Commonwealth champion with 70 fights and I could only do that to a 10-fight novice I'd pack the game in! I was only a kid but I have come on so much since then. I'm a man now and he's definitely in my sights. I know if we fought now I'd smash his face in. Did you see his pro debut against Dave Ingleby? Ingleby wobbled him in that one and Ingleby can't land a glove on me in the gym (Fury and Ingleby have sparred extensively). If we fought again Price wouldn't make it out of the first round. I'm too ferocious. He's just a big chinny thing from Liverpool. But there is no big rush. If he does his job and keeps winning, Fury v Price could be build up into the biggest heavyweight fight in British history. It could be as big if not bigger than (Frank) Bruno v (Lennox) Lewis. Two big white heavyweights who can fight? I hold no grudges against the man and hope he does well so we can meet for some serious money down the line but there is only one person winning that fight now.

ITV: Finally, Tyson, glory days of ITV in the 1980s and 1990s with Benn and Eubank and that lot may have been a bit before your time but are you excited to be showcasing your talents and building up a fan base on the channel, in front of an audience of millions?

TF: I'm over the moon to be fighting on ITV. Mick (Hennessy) showed me the viewing figures Sky get for their boxing coverage and the figures ITV get and I couldn't believe it. It's done wonders for my profile already. People are recognizing me in the street all the time. For example I was up running in the mountains with my cousin early one morning a while back in the middle of nowhere and this binman goes 'There's Tyson Fury'. He came over and we had a chat but it made me smile thinking about it afterwards. You need TV exposure and it doesn't get bigger than ITV. Without you guys I'd still be an unknown boxing on small hall shows. ITV are making a big deal over me and I hope to reward them and the fans with some big performances.

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