Should We Take Tyson Fury Serious in 2018 If He Finally Returns to the Ring?

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

A we recede into Christmas and get ready for the New Year, we have a number of boxing hopes on the horizon, not least of which may be the return of Mr Tyson, Gyspy King, Fury, 25-0, 18 KO’s.

I have opined that I do not think that Tyson shall box again but the evidence that is daily presented to us is that I am wrong.

The thing is that even with the incredibly positive vibe coming from Fury himself, there are quite a few things that are wrong with the picture emanating from his camp and the furore around it.

Firstly, Tyson Fury needs to lose some weight. That may sound, for those of us who have seen him, like the understatement of 2017, but Fury looks more than bulky. There is little doubt that he has the bit between his teeth and is now hungry to get back into A ring, but the fact is that he could come close to bringing down a ring at his current weight.

Next, the training he is doing, as has been pointed out by the BBC’s Mike Costello, is not the type of training to undertake when you are at the beginning of a camp. It has been further pointed out that this might be the type of training he is doing to break up the monotony of the regime he needs to be doing for weight loss. It has also been pointed out that the evidence – a few 3 second or so videos – is hardly enough upon which to judge the regime.

It is also relevant to admit that Fury is a master of misdirection so setting these hares up to run might just be the type of Batman induced nonsense he wants to fool us all with.

Next, he has shifted trainer. This has caused a great deal of head scratching and consternation. Let’s be very clear here. The man who guided Tyson to the biggest win, arguably, of British heavyweight boxing – his uncle, Peter Fury – is now out the picture. He will no longer look after the training for his nephew. New trainer, Ben Davison, known to Fury through his association with Billy Joe Saunders will now be in charge of his training.

What has got us all talking is the fact that Davison is the trainer that oversaw Saunders’ worst performance in his professional career. You can see the headlines and the worries that some boxing fan may have…

The word on the street is that this is a decent trainer who will do very well with Fury and that the tie up has come after Fury and Davison shared some ideas about how Fury could beat Anthony Joshua. Having shared their game plans with each other they found a mutual cause and plan that they think will work and upon which they have now embarked.

The next issue for Fury is his ban. It’s all over – except he accepted a ban on the basis of what? Guilt? Culpability? A mistake? It has left a little sour note – even amongst those that want him back as soon as possible. What did the agreement between the Drug’s body, AKAD and the Furys actually mean?

How should we see people coming back into the sport after a two year ban?

How should future opponents view that fact?

What have they said in the past about such people?

That 2 year absence comes next. What does it mean for Fury and for his prospects? Are we talking about a guy who could do what many others have failed to do and take a long break before returning as good, if not better, than ever?
Remind me… Who has taken 2 years off before from active boxing and managed it?

Is there anyone out there?

Some have called for him – Eddie Hearn being one – to ease into the fight game again. A couple – at least – of warm up fights before being in a world title fight. Previously, Fury has said he is only coming back to fight for belts but recently that stance has softened. He surely realises that he needs to rub off that ring rust; surely?

So, who?

Fury has been open to Tony Bellew – goading him on social media and on TV. Bellew would need to beat David Haye in May for that to happen later in the year.

Fury wants Joshua but there are plenty now who think that is a 2019 fight now. Before then a fight against Bellew in mid to late 2017 and something in the New Year – but who to begin the journey?

How about David Price? Again, thanks to social media, we know there is history as Price and Fury met in the amateurs. Price though is a gamble. Just how much of one is debatable as he has not set much heather alight in the pros and all heavyweights are a risk – would there be an audience for it? Likely…
There is also Dillian Whyte, but Whyte is on another pathway and taking the fight could upset his plan for a world title fight.

Then there is the possibility of Joseph Parker. Unlikely though it sounds, there could be an argument that one Fury having failed, Hughie, there is another Fury ready to take him on. It would usurp all the rest and provide some decent box office attention prior to a bigger fight – like for Tony Bellew.

The big fight is Anthony Joshua. There are very few who think Joshua would struggle against a fully functional Fury but Fury could get fit, win against a warm up opponent, knock out Tony Bellew and be ready for January/February 2019.

Joshua in the meantime would collect the WBO belt from Parker, the WBC belt from Deontay Wilder and be facing the Ring and Lineal champion to unite the whole shebang. Problem is that, that would have to be a summer fight in the outdoors.

You can imagine the pitfall throughout all of this plan.

Both Fury and Joshua would need to remain undefeated.

There are plenty who would argue about whether that is truly possible.

There is finally the licence. Having had his ban and served it he needs a boxing licence.

Fury has been very vocal about how he hates the British Boxing Board of Control and they have, in turn, been vocal about how they need convinced of his health; it might seem that not liking them might not help his cause or at least being vocal about that dislike is not a great political move.

Having had drug and mental health issues, Fury needs to be convincing and not sound convincing for any sanctioning body. This is maybe the least of his worries as I have no doubt that the politics of this massive fight towards the end of 2018, beginning of 2019 shall sway the vote in Fury’s favor.

Have we missed Tyson Fury? No; because he has never been away.

Every time there has been a fight he has had something to say and something to promise. When his close friend, Saunders fought in Canada he was there. The biggest difference when he was interviewed after the fight in Montreal this time, was that he was clear and very specific – almost impressive. In fact, he sounded very well and highly cogent in his analysis of Saunders and his prospects.

Of course we would love him back, but he needs to be fit and healthy.

The plans of men are aft gang awry as Mr Robert Burns said all those years ago – one thing though is for sure, no matter what happens for Tyson Fury, 2018 is likely to be better than 2017 for him.

[si-contact-form form=’1′]