Bow wow as dog seals deal for Ben
Gypsy King Fury is in a league of his own
TYSON FURY believes he has more to lose than Anthony Joshua if the battle of the two British boxing giants finally goes ahead.
And unbeaten WBC champion Fury, 32, boasted: “I am the only undefeated world heavyweight champion out there.
“All the rest have been beaten, left by the wayside, stopped and battered. They need me.
“I’m a standalone Gypsy King giant ruling the division, ruling the roost.”
Before the eagerly awaited Joshua match-up can happen, Fury must first defend his WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder, while WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua has to take on Kubrat Pulev.
But Dillian Whyte’s brutal knockout defeat by Alexander Povetkin on Saturday night has removed one big obstacle in the way of an all-british super fight.
“I know (promoter) Eddie Hearn and Joshua were trying to put a hurdle in the way with Dillian Whyte,” said Fury.
“But the fact of the matter is that I don’t need any of their fighters, they need me.
“I don’t need any of their money, I don’t need what they can bring to the table, but for the fans, you want the biggest fight possible – and the biggest fight out there now is me against Anthony Joshua.
“They have nothing to lose, they’ve already been knocked out and beat.
“I’m the only one who has got something to lose, that big 0 (no defeats) I’m carrying around with me.”
Fury feels Whyte’s fifth-round knockout defeat by Povetkin – who was stopped by Joshua two years ago – just proves how far he is ahead of the rest of the division.
“All these boxers at the moment, the Joshuas, the Chisoras, the Whytes, the Povetkins, all these people are on a similar level,” said Fury, speaking on BT Sport.
“I see them all as being fours, fives and sixes. And at any time they can take each other out. It shows you what level they’re at.”
But Fury is not overlooking Wilder in their rematch – pencilled in for December 19 – despite his one-sided victory in their February clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
He said: “As you saw on Saturday, if you overlook someone, you get banged on the chin. I just want to concentrate
TOP goalie Ben Bowns knows he would have been barking mad to snub a move to top Austrian side Graz99ers.
And the clincher that convinced him he was doing the right thing by quitting top-flight giants Cardiff after six seasons was that he could take his French bulldog with him.
The Great Britain stopper said: “It’s always been a dream to play abroad and I’m really excited.”
Bowns, 29, has signed a one-year deal with the Austrian League side.
The family – Ben, wife Jade and their pet dog Stitch – are settling down in their two-bedroom apartment with stunning views of the Central Alps in Austria’s second largest city after a three-day, 1,000-mile drive from Barry, South Wales.
Bowns added: “We are a family and it will be a lot more fun to have Stitch here, I didn’t want to leave him in Barry.
“I’ve already taken him for morning and evening walks. He seems settled
■ here already. He just turned five before we left.
“We’ve brought a load of dog food over with us, probably a month or two months’ supply.”
Bowns will make his debut in the first of six Covid-19 test games a week tomorrow, with the league season starting on September 25.
The Rotherham-born keeper added: “I’d love to make a real career in
Europe. I have a plan and this is the first step.
“I’ve just signed for this season but hopefully I will either get an extension or move on to another team.” AMERICAN star Sam Herr, who hit 30 goals and had 29 assists in 46 games last season, has quit Nottingham.
The 27-year-old forward has signed with Austria’s HC Innsbruck after just a year in the Elite League.