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Baby Reindeer: An Interview with John Fury’s Forehead

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Halfway through writing an article in which Andy Lee discusses Tyson Fury’s renewed focus, I was distracted by the news that John Fury, Tyson’s dad, used his head – or, as the case may be – on a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s entourage, simply because well, it was Monday.

I then thought about two things: first, whether his father’s antics would affect Fury’s so-called renewed focus; and second, whether the article I was writing was even worth finishing, given this latest attention-grabbing article.

I will never know the answer to the first question, but the answer to the second question was simple to find. You only had to look at John Fury’s reaction to headbutting the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia to quickly understand why there was no need to write or talk about anything else about the Fury-Usyk fight that day. You see, John Fury did it. He made the day, if not the week, all about him.

As soon as they realized this, fans with cameras in Riyad surrounded him, as if all of life’s answers could be found on John Fury’s forehead, which was oozing blood rather pathetically. “Buddy, buddy, buddy, what happened?” – everyone asked, one by one, lining up like a flock of geese. Meanwhile, Tyson Fury, in his own interview, probably summed up the situation best when he spotted his father and said, “What happened to your head, you stupid cunt?”

Tyson Fury (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

No matter how he was prompted, the answer, like the question, was always the same. Something about no man being born from a mother who didn’t go through a Fury (or some variation on that). But what the media failed to get, despite all their desperation to get to the point and be first, was one key piece of information; that is, the nickname John Fury once gave to the forehead, i.e. the weapon that was used yesterday by a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team.

The name for those who don’t know is: Baby Reindeer.

This is a true story, by the way, although it should be made clear that John Fury’s name has nothing to do with the Netflix series that is currently taking the world by storm and causing countless influence hunters to harass and sometimes interview misfit civilians on television. which some of the characters in the show were apparently based on. Instead, John Fury chose to name his forehead Baby Reindeer simply because it represented the condition he leaves every male born to his mother – briefcases, sausages – once something has been combined with them. In fact, if you think about it, there’s a sturdy possibility that this was what he was trying to explain to the youthful member of Usyk’s entourage as he invaded his space and the world watched as the Little Reindeer’s punch silenced Ukraine. Or maybe, ultimately, John Fury simply wants his story to be heard and wants the world to know that the man from whose testicles Tyson Fury was born has an equally powerful forehead.

In this case, he needs better questions and some change. You see, ask him the same questions and all you’ll hear is the same Sean Dyche growl and the same trite answers; just like putting a man like John Fury in the same situation will only produce the same results. Then again, when it comes to John Fury, maybe that’s the point. Perhaps it is these answers and these results that boxing, struggling under the weight of its own unseriousness, is now seeking a sort of finality or Hail Mary swing.

Regardless, there are currently people in Saudi Arabia who, while traveling, planned to interview Tyson Fury before his huge fight and then spend Monday reporting on what his dad decided to do with his head. Some, very diligently, followed the drama on cameras and phones, which is often the easiest way to document the tragedy these days, while others, real journalists, sat down and devoted words to an event that they knew had no connection with the fight they were fighting for. they traveled, and yet somehow they meant everything in the world in which they now toil. Even then, remember, no one asked the right questions; or in this case, learned the name and history of John Fury’s now celebrated forehead.

Chances are that if John Fury had faced a professional like Piers Morgan on Monday, things would have been different. Unlike those present in Riyad, Morgan would undoubtedly get to the truth and uncover the motives of the world heavyweight champion’s father once and for all. He would give John Fury a platform to speak out and suggest that it is in your best interest to speak to him – there is no time to waste at this point. He would promise an online audience of millions something John Fury had wanted for years, and he would do everything in his power to make him celebrated; really celebrated, not just celebrated in boxing. All the while, John Fury, slowly peeling away the plaster dripping vertically from his forehead, musters the courage to say to Morgan, “Thank you, Piers. Now let me tell you about Little Reindeer.

John Fury goes crazy (Misfits Boxing)

Until now, John Fury was merely trying to shout his way to prominence in the world of boxing. However, as he found out, it wasn’t just his trick and he had to come up with fresh, better ways to attract attention and focus the whole situation on himself. By all accounts, that’s where Baby Reindeer came in; a tool, before Monday, largely forgotten and unused, and yet long-time friend John Fury, who will soon turn 60, was always there to turn to in times of trouble.

Cynics will, of course, suggest that he simply pulled something from his past to gain attention and distract everyone from a much more significant and significant fight. However, it will not be the first time that John Fury will claim that he is misunderstood, attacked and persecuted. He will call himself a “fighting man” and you a “political bastard.”

Meanwhile, his Little Reindeer, initially annoyed at being the center of attention, will later claim self-defense and claim that a mere forehead cannot be held responsible for the decisions made by those who push it forward, whether into the spotlight or in other people’s faces. After recovery, they will consider their options: legal, management, sponsorship. They will start a podcast. They will fight Paul. They will become the second most powerful forehead after Zinedine Zidane and the second most powerful part of John Fury’s anatomy after his testicles. Give him a year or two and Baby Reindeer will even agree to appear in the three-part documentary Fury vs. Usyk for Netflix as a talking head and then the whole world will finally know their name.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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Benavidez Sr. wants Artur Beterbiev after David Morrell

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Image: Benavidez Sr. Wants Artur Beterbiev After David Morrell

David Benavidez’s father, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he wants undisputed lightweight heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev if he can defeat “regular” WBA champion David Morrell in a Jan. 25 fight.

Jose Senior believes Beterbiew would be a good fight for Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO). He would also like his son to have Dmitry Bivol because it would give him a chance to beat someone who beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022.

Jose Sr. is still bitter that Canelo chose not to fight Benavidez all these years, and recently mentioned a $200 million asking price to fight him. If Bivol loses the rematch with Beterbiev, it is not worth fighting him.

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) will be the guy Benavidez fights if he defeats Bivol in a rematch in 2025. The second fight is still not confirmed, but it is likely.

Benavidez’s worst nightmare would be if Beterbiev lost his rematch with Bivol and then the two fighters met in a trilogy fight. Benavidez will have to wait until the third fight between these fighters takes place before he can claim the belts.

“David’s next fight will be David Morrell. Everyone is very excited about it. We tried to make this fight for three years, but I think David Morrell needed a little more experience to show the world that he deserves this fight,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. Probox TV David Benavidez’s next fight with Cuban David Morrell will take place on January 25.

Of course, Team Benavidez hasn’t tried challenging to fight Morrell over the last three years because they’ve been the ones ignoring him. If they wanted a fight with Morrell, it would have happened a long time ago.

They waited until now, after Morrell’s unimpressive performance against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, before deciding they wanted to fight him.

“David called him and said, ‘Hey, I want to do this fight. Let’s make it happen. It was done right away. I’m very excited to fight a newborn talent, a sturdy fighter, and I think it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Jose Senior on how the fight with Morrell ultimately came about.

I hope we get a chance to fight Beterbiev. He won only on Saturday. Hopefully we can achieve that, but right now our focus is on David Morrell. We have to look impressive to get to the next level,” Benavidez Sr. said.

If Benavidez loses to Morrell, Jose Sr. will have to decide which direction to take his son. Will he move it back to 168 pounds or stay at 175, hoping to win one of the belts after Beterbiev’s vacation?

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