{"id":64033,"date":"2016-10-20T22:43:46","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T03:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=64033"},"modified":"2016-10-20T22:44:17","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T03:44:17","slug":"tyson-fury-and-the-rest-of-the-uk-heavyweights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=64033","title":{"rendered":"Tyson Fury and The Rest of the UK Heavyweights\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tyson<\/a>By Donald \u201cBraveheart\u201d Stewart<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was an advert in the 1970\u2019s which was for an insurance company here in the UK where the catchphrase was \u201cit\u2019s an equitable life.\u201d I had a fleeting thought about it when sitting to write this because, the domestic heavyweight division in the UK is far from being equitable. It is fascinating, interesting and catching the mainstream media as much as it has caught the boxing fraternity on forums and internet chat nonsense.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest. Amongst all of the weight categories in boxing this is the one people who are not boxing fans associate with the sport. It is the one they shall get out of the chair to cheer. It is the one they shall pick up newspapers to read about and it is the one that we all want \u201cour\u201d fighter to win. <\/p>\n

The pinnacle of our heavyweights was Mr Tyson Fury 25-0 18 KO\u2019s. An unbeaten young man who is just 28 years old who went to Germany and beat a local hero. Wladimir Klitschko 64-4, 53 KO\u2019s may well be Ukrainian but his career was almost exclusively, as a champion, fought out in Germany. With the retirement of his brother, Vitali, the Klitschko\u2019s found the heavyweight championship split and his defeat to Fury has split the whole shebang even wider. But the IBO, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring belts that Fury took from him, that night in November 2015 was a remarkable feat.<\/p>\n

It was remarkable because Klitschko had been a champion for over 10 years with those belts. It was remarkable because it went to points and notoriously it is very hard to get a decision in Germany \u2013 there are countless examples. It was remarkable because Fury is trained by a man, Peter Fury \u2013 his uncle, who is not always lauded as a brilliant trainer because he has so few in his stable and not many rate him yet, he was able to take those belts away from a true champion.<\/p>\n

Fury promised to shake up the division. He has certainly done that. He fell back into despair after winning and managed to postpone both rematches whilst losing the IBF belt because of the rematch clause. He then went on a drinking spree with England fans in the European soccer championships after postponing the first fight. He then was spotted ringside to support his cousin in the ring on the day he announced the second postponement. Before and during the negotiations he appeared as Batman and then claimed he was the Fat Man that won a world title.
\nNews reports of him failing a drug test was leaked and the Fury camp went into defend mode. There were lies and counter claims. These accusations would be defended robustly and the world would get to know the truth, claimed the Fury camp. The truth seems to be something close to what the Fury\u2019s have been denying. It seems that Tyson has not trained for a fight and was never motivated enough to get the deal done and get himself fit to defend his titles. His mental illness now diagnosed he is off for treatment with the British Boxing Board of Control to give their verdict on failed tests and cocaine snorting to come \u2013 his licence suspension being the beginning of that process.<\/p>\n

That IBF title was snatched away from him and Charles Martin 23-1-1, 21 KO\u2019s took it for his own. Over he came to London and lost it to our second biggest name, Anthony Joshua 17-0, 17 KO\u2019s. Joshua is a massive presence. Winning Olympic Gold at London in 2012 made him a hero. Winning the world title in his 16th professional fight, made him a super hero. Since then his defences have been less than satisfactory because he has yet to face someone of stature that truly is believed capable of taking the belt away from him.<\/p>\n

His mandatory challenger, Joseph Parker 21-0, 18 KO\u2019s, faces an uphill struggle as Wladimir Klitschko is back. Klitschko is about to sign the deal to face Joshua IF the WBA sanction it as a world title fight. Klitschko would then, should he win, have the IBF and the WBA belts back and then be chasing the IBO and WBO belts to make it all, all right, once again. At his age, 37, this is a very tall ask. Mind you look at Bernard Hopkins 55-7, 32 KO\u2019s. There is a lot of very wise people here who think Joshua shall win in any case\u2026<\/p>\n

There are then 5 names who crop up continuously as possible contenders for these 2 heavyweight heavyweights. Firstly, David Price, 21-3, 18 KO\u2019s, who has started to get himself back in the mix after being knocked out by 2 drug cheats \u2013 Tony Thomson 40-7, 27 KO\u2019s and Erkan Teper, 16-1, 10 KO\u2019s. Price is promoted by Sauerland and this could give him a massive advantage as he has been promoting him Vs Joshua whenever he can \u2013 the Sauerland\u2019s are making a big noises and also being involved with the Klitschko\u2019s gets them closer to King Maker, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom who promotes Joshua.<\/p>\n

Next is Derrick Chisora, 26-6, 18 KO\u2019s, Price\u2019s stable mate who is also promoted by Sauerland. Chisora has been resurrecting a career that has promised a great deal and delivered only 1 world title fight \u2013 his loss to Vitali. A few losses on his record is no disgrace but he is also coming to the end of a roller coaster career \u2013 could there be one massive fight left in his pathway?<\/p>\n

Up and coming \u2013 only 1 loss on his record to Joshua \u2013 Dillian Whyte, 19-, 15 KO\u2019s, thought it should be him and will make his first defense of his British title against Chisora in Wembley on the 26th November. In the UK this will do the business but outside \u2013 who knows? Whyte won the British title and put away a couple of domestic level fighters. A scrap with Chisora makes him better known internationally and a win would catapult him closer to a rematch with Joshua. And Whyte remains dangerous – of all the guys to have shared a ring with Joshua, Whyte is the one who beat him as an amateur and wobbled him as a professional.<\/p>\n

Then there is David Haye, 28-2, 16 KO\u2019s. His comeback has seen him beat two guys we had never heard of and possibly never will again. At the weekend there his feud with the WBC cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew, 28 -2-1, 18 KO\u2019s blew up as Bellew threw himself out the ring to get to Haye and challenge him for a fight. That is a big fight in the UK but actually irrelevant to the rest of the world. Haye will be back in December and has yet to name an opponent as he is waiting for news of the Joshua\/Klitschko fight. Possible names have included that guy that was the WBA regular champion for a short while Lucas Browne, 24-0, 21 KO\u2019s. An Australian, Browne is managed and promoted by Ricky Hatton from Manchester, England. Browne is the final name in the mix at world or close to world level. Having won the WBA regular title, he failed a drugs test, he lost his belt, took legal action and got a compromise that means he is the number 1 contender for the regular WBA belt. Of course the WBA have another belt to give away and that is the one Joshua and Klitschko shall get in the ring for should it be sanctioned.<\/p>\n

And so we return to Joshua and Klitschko. It\u2019s a done deal. They shall fight IF the WBA sanction it, probably on the 10th December. Price, Chisora and Whyte are posturing around possible scraps in 2017 whilst Browne is waiting for news of what comes next. As for Haye he is fighting on the 10th December but has no venue and no opponent. Should the Joshua\/Klitschko fight also be 10th December there is little \u2013 or no \u2013 doubt he shall switch dates. Lots of possibilities, lots of ponderables, little by way of clarity and plenty of confusion \u2013 don\u2019t we just love it!<\/p>\n