Team Fury make light of injuries
TYSON FURY’S trainer has revealed the new champion was carrying a string of injuries going into his heavyweight showdown with Deontay Wilder.
Fury dropped Wilder twice before the fight was stopped in the seventh in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The beaten champion has since claimed his legs were weakened by the huge 40lb costume he wore for his ring walk. But Fury’s coach Sugarhill Steward has detailed the list of knocks his man was carrying.
“We had injuries in camp. Tyson hurt his ankles – they were all messed up – and he suffered a cut,” he said. “Tyson wasn’t even getting hit to the head in training camp and I think at the beginning of training camp his elbow or shoulder was hurt.
“He was limping, so Tyson Fury’s the one with all the injuries.”
Fury has now won each of the four major world titles following his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
But he will have to put to one side his dreams of becoming the undisputed champion after Wilder confirmed he intends to trigger the rematch clause in his contract.
Fury has been linked with an all-british fight with fellow world champion Anthony Joshua, who is due to face Kubrat Pulev in London on June 20.
But he will instead have to face Wilder for a third time – the first bout in December 2018 ended in a draw.
“The rematch is definitely going to happen,” said Wilder. “We’re going to get it on. I want to get right back to it.”
TIPPERARY legend Michael ‘Babs’ Keating has described Johnny Murphy’s handling of the Dublinwexford game as the worst he’s ever seen.
The Limerick ref was in the spotlight after the Allianz Hurling League encounter on Saturday at Croke Park, which saw 50 frees awarded.
Three red cards were also dished out, although at least one of those looks set to be overturned, with Dublin full-back Eoghan O’donnell unlucky to receive a second yellow in the closing stages.
But that dismissal had
asignificant bearing on the game as Wexford came with a late salvo to claim a two-point win.
Former Tipp boss Keating said: “What I saw in Croke Park last Saturday evening was the worst I’ve ever seen, and I mean that.
“To think that Wexford had a mentor that was able to bring in a ball every time Lee Chin got a free… the yellow cards, the penalty he gave against Dublin was disgraceful.”
The following day, Kilkenny whistler Sean Cleere took charge of the Cork-limerick tie at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, in which 42 frees were awarded. Keating added: “I walked away from management because we had a referee who gave 16 decisions against us the day we drew with Limerick.
“This discussion has come up over and over again – but last weekend was the worst.
“You hear Kieran Kingston (Cork manager) coming out strong enough to say more or less that the referee destroyed the game.
“Joe Kernan and myself were invited to a committee I’d say 14 years ago – it was an issue then, and it’s a bigger issue today.”
Keating has a particular bugbear with umpires, citing Tipp’s ‘ghost goal’ against Waterford