Tyson Fury - He has the name, but what about the game?

Maxboxing Marty Mulcahey 11th June, 2009

With heavyweights, marketing is everything, and promoters can spend years trying to attain a certain image for their future champion. In this regard, some people are born lucky, and if a boxer is fortunate enough to develop into a talented heavyweight is there any better name than Tyson Fury!? When it comes to attracting attention, that nom de guerre is like giving Usain Bolt (the world's fastest man) a ten yard running head start in a hundred yard dash. But there is pressure to live up to the name, and the undefeated Fury is not making it easier on himself with his garish brand of talk.

On Saturday, Fury steps into the ring for the seventh time as a pro, and though his opponent is still not certain, Fury does not hesitate to say he will win with ease. In fact, Fury does not waver when speaking about opponents of any sort; he is that full of confidence. Or as some would say, full of himself. Last week, Fury told England's Boxing News magazine that he would, "Smash Sam Peter to pieces". Welcome to the world of Tyson Fury. His brashness has put some people off, much as was the case with current UK heavyweight hotshot David Haye and former English Olympic champion Audley Harrison. Personally, I appreciate an athlete who is willing to put pressure on himself to perform by raising expectations.

Despite Fury's current stature - he stands 6'7 (some reports make him as tall as six foot nine) and weighs around 250 pounds - Fury was not expected to reach the milestone of one week old.

He was born at six and a half months, 10 weeks premature, and weighed in at just over one pound. Obviously, he became a fighter in the opening moments of life. His father told the London Telegraph newspaper, "They told me there was not much hope for him. It was 1988, Mike Tyson was in his pomp as world heavyweight champion, and so I said 'Let's call him Tyson'." Despite this, boxing was not pushed upon him. "I've never encouraged Tyson to fight. In fact, I've tried my best to discourage him from being a boxer, but it's in him, he wasn't interested in anything else. He's been in the gym since he was 12."

It is not without good reason that Tyson Fury talks himself up, as he was a talented amateur who claims he was not given a proper chance to represent England at the 2008 Olympics. More on that later. Fury is a pressure fighter, with evident boxing skills, even though his defensive flaws and lack of fluidity in combination sequences still need to be addressed. He is seemingly open for uppercuts. There is also has a tendency to turn sideways when attacked, opening himself up to an opponent with good maneuverability. But what do you expect from a fighter who has not had ten professional bouts? Fury, evidently, expects a lot from himself. At a perfect 7-0, with seven stoppages, he is already calling out the best boxers on the national level.

Luckily, Fury is somewhat shielded from his own talk by the British Boxing Board of Control, since they will not allow Fury to fight for any local honors until he has been scheduled for bouts of more than eight or ten rounds. Truth be told, Fury has talked critically about more heavyweight titleholders (past, current, and future) then he has been in the ring with to date. This despite Fury keeping an active schedule - he averages a fight a month since turning pro in December of 2008. One former champion who still has doubts about Fury is Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan.

"Many's the guy who started out with high expectations and fell along the way. He looks very impressive, he says he can fight, but this is a very tough game. Some big, tough hombre is going to drag him into the late stages and then, and only then, are we going to know how good he is."

The sport of boxing is in Fury's blood. The son of a former British heavyweight, "Gypsy" John Fury, who ended with a pro record of 8-4-1, he can trace boxers back in his family to the 1940's. Fury was christened Luke Tyson Fury, and with good reason has chosen to fight under his middle name. Fury finished his amateur career with a 30-4 record, and won the bronze medal at the 2006 World Junior Championships. In his final year as an amateur Fury won the 2008 ABA super heavyweight title, akin to winning a National Golden Gloves title in America. His Olympic hopes were dashed when Fury was not invited to a qualifying tourney for the Olympics in favor of boxers who had more experience at the International level. Fury lamented, "I didn't get a chance, so I feel I have no option but to turn pro. The Amateur Boxing Association wants me to wait until 2012, but there are no guarantees."

The Olympics remain a prickly subject with Fury, and English Olympic bronze medalist David Price (whom he lost to 22-8, but knocked down in their only bout) suffers the brunt of his verbal attacks because of it. Fury called out Price after his pro debut. "We may as well fight now because there's no guarantee he will make it to British title level. Price says he'll do his talking in the ring. Well here's his big chance." Fury went on to explain why he lost to Price in the amateurs. "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. If we fought again Price wouldn't make it out of the first round. I know if we fought now I'd smash his face in."

Upon turning pro, Fury, somewhat unexpectedly, signed with promoter Mick Hennessy instead of the more accomplished Frank Warren. There was also interest internationally, with Golden Boy promotions reportedly contacting Fury. Hennessy was, naturally, elated with his signing. "Tyson Fury is the best prospect in world boxing. I honestly believe that if the selectors had taken him to Beijing, he would have won the gold medal. He could be winning domestic honors within six months, and be a world champion within four years," adding, "He is the best heavyweight I have seen since Lennox Lewis - and he is still only 20. He has a brilliant jab which reminds me of Larry Holmes, and is very athletic, like the old heavyweights used to be."

I believe the Holmes comparison is valid for another reason, because Fury does not have the well defined body of a Wladimir Klitschko or David Haye. He has more of a Larry Holmes physique, lacking pectoral definition and shoulder musculature, which does a lot to hide his natural power. Fury moves very well for a big man, and belies oafish traits his size is sure to prejudice up. He makes up for any perceived shortcomings with an accurate jab, and goes to the body exceptionally well for a man of his height. Promoter Mick Hennessy sums up his charge, "He throws punches in bunches, brilliant combinations, and he has a great chin. He could be an absolute sensation."

The men paid to stand in the opposite corner have been the usual suspect opposition, with two exceptions. Fury was put in with 21-3 (20 stoppage wins) Marcel Zeller in only his second fight, but a good combination of uppercuts and body shots bloodied Zeller up as early as the second round. In the third, Fury stopped Zeller, after a warning for a low blow, with a barrage of punches along the ropes. In his last fight, Fury dispatched Scott Belshaw, a good amateur who matched Fury in size. Again the body work paid off. Fury was the aggressor throughout, stopping Belshaw in the second round. In all, Fury scored three knockdowns against Belshaw, all of the bodyshot variety.

One issue that has been raised recently is if Fury will take on a world class trainer? He was with amateur coach Steve Egan, and expressed his loyalty to Egan numerous times. Egan, of course, talked up his man. "From the first day I saw him, as a 14-year-old, I thought he would end up as heavyweight champion of the world. He has height, reach, desire, and dedication as well as great movement and power." He added this little nugget. "He is up at seven every morning for a run. He eats right, goes to bed early and doesn't go out partying. He even limits himself to seeing his girlfriend just once a week - how many 19-year-olds would do that?" A trainer who performs bed checks is hard to replace.

Although Fury never won a desired Olympic Gold medal like countryman Audley Harrison, he shares the same gift for gab that Harrison became renowned for. Fury, of course, has no doubts that he will soon be winning on the international level. "Ability wise, I'm five times better than anyone in the world at the moment." That quote was after his second pro win. A lot of British fans have been hearing that kind of talk, because Fury is seen on free television. Imagine if Fury manages to attract the kind of following that a Ricky Hatton has, which is not out of the realm of possibility, thanks to the tremendous exposure broadcast television delivers.

The way Fury talks he might not even be in need of his promoter, and at times he plays matchmaker as well. During one post fight press conference, Fury threw out the name of Oliver McCall. "He's a good, strong man, he's never really been knocked out. I don't know what [promoter] Mick [Hennessy] would say. Someone like that would be perfect. He's dangerous so you'd have to keep on your toes." He proceeded to casually raise the level even more, "Mick says I need building up a bit more before fights like that. When I'm 15-0, a fight against a Sam Peter or a Hasim Rahman would sell out the MEN Arena."

Former champion Samuel Peter is evidently on Tyson Fury's mind a lot. Telling Britain's Boxing News magazine, "Do you know who'd be a good man for me to fight right now? You'll think I'm joking - Sam Peter. He's made to measure. He's a big swinger and I guarantee my straight punches would smash him to pieces." But what are you to expect from a guy who called himself, "The best heavyweight in Britain by a mile" just before turning pro? Despite that kind of talk Fury is a gentleman in the ring, and interviews aside, Fury is seen as a humble man outside of boxing.

Love him or hate him, Tyson Fury cannot be ignored.

-->