Author: Sean Crose
“He looks so ancient,” my wife said on Saturday when she saw former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. My wife is not a boxing fan, but being the wife of a fight writer, she knows well who Fury is. The truth was that I was thinking the same thing as her. He had the typical Tyson Fury physique, but the Gypsy King’s face showed traces of three huge wars fought many years earlier with Deontay Wilder. Indeed, Fury seemed a bit different in other ways too.
When he entered the ring at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday to face Arslanbek Makhmudov, there was nothing to do. This was quite unusual as Fury had gone so far as to enter the ring dressed as a king during his heyday. Of course, the great Briton’s heyday has indeed passed. After all, Fury lost two of his last three fights, and on Saturday, after a long break of over two years, he fell between the ropes. No, Fury didn’t look like his ancient self before the fight. It seemed like a recent version of Fury as he entered the ring in front of thousands of raucous fans.
Fortunately for those British fans (who largely supported their compatriot Fury), the former world champion hasn’t changed much stylistically from himself. While he may not have been as brisk or as powerful as he once was, Fury proved once again on Saturday that he is one of the best in the business – even after more than two years away from the ring. In compact: this man didn’t look bad for a player in his slow forties. Of course, he had aid from his opponent Makhmudov, who, despite his powerful hitting and playing, was clearly outclassed by his eminent opponent.
While he may have lost a round or two, Fury essentially dominated the fight with his acute jab, precise striking, and ability to physically choke his opponent once he landed on the man. Even though he took hits at times, Fury rarely looked less than dominant throughout the match. With that in mind, it bears repeating that destitute Makhmudov was much lower on the skill ladder than Fury. Even the guy’s strength didn’t guarantee him victory – it wasn’t a substantial surprise, considering that Fury had already taken over all the firepower in Deontay Wilder’s arsenal some time ago.
The question, of course, is what’s next for the 34-2-1 Fury. The answer should have been Anthony Joshua, but Fury’s English compatriot made it clear after the fight that he was in no rush to meet Fury in the ring, not that he didn’t want to. Indeed, Joshua gave the impression after the fight that he thought Fury’s inevitable calling from the ring was something of a showman. He seemed a bit hostile, Joshua, but it’s unwise to make statements about fighters because there’s a lot going on behind the scenes in this sport. Besides, both Fury and Joshua are running out of options. Each of them has been beaten twice by Oleksandr Usyk, and there is a recent breed of heavyweight fighter emerging that these established and older stars of their age may want to avoid. So who if not the other one?
Ultimately, Fury has proven to the world that he is still a top-shelf commodity in boxing, which means there will likely be more arena fights in the man’s future. It’s doubtful he’ll be as powerful as Fury once was, but he still has a legacy to look after – as well as some very substantial potential paydays. They are tempting at every stage of a player’s career.