Is Fury out of his depth? Kelly backing Kiwi ace for title
Conor McGregor is convinced he will beat Floyd Mayweather on August 26 inside four rounds.
And if the Nevada Athletic Commission approves the fighters’ request to use eightounce gloves, he said he will beat Mayweather in the first six minutes of the fight. ‘‘He’ll be unconscious inside two rounds, really one round, only for the 10-second count I will give him maybe surviving into the second,’’ McGregor said yesterday. AP Kevin Barry has questioned Hughie Fury’s ability to handle a pumped up Joseph Parker and the pressures of a world title fight in the lanky Brit’s own backyard.
Parker takes his WBO heavyweight belt to Manchester to defend it against Fury on September 23.
While Barry concedes there is heat on Parker to produce a statement performance in his British debut, he has confidence that will unfold and has instead argued the readiness of the unbeaten but untested 22-year-old Fury.
There have been plenty of words coming out of the Fury camp about the physical development and new look of a fighter who hasn’t fought in earnest for 18 months, a period where Parker has been busy, climbing into the top tier of the rejuvenated division.
‘‘Talk is talk,’’ Barry says Las Vegas where he has Parker starting the sparring phase of his training camp.
‘‘Of course Hughie is evolving and developing ... he is a young guy and still improving. But that inactivity is one of the reasons why they never came down to Auckland to fight us on May 6, the time obviously wasn’t right for them.
‘‘It takes a lot of courage to be in this position and this is Hughie’s first time in a major spotlight. There is huge pressure and expectations on him, he’s fighting in front of his family and friends and fan base. We’ve had that luxury many times fighting in New Zealand and the way we look at this, travelling over there, is that all the pressure is on him.
‘‘Joe’s battle tested. He showed it against Carlos Takam and Andy Ruiz, two very physical, very aggressive fights. They are the sort of fights that have him ready. He is proven in the heat of battle.
‘‘Hughie Fury has never been in a position like that. Joe has been heading payper-view cards since his fifth fight while this is Fury’s first time in the spotlight.
‘‘We see a lot of pressure on the young guy and I can promise you that Hughie Fury has never seen anything like Joseph Parker before.’’
Barry felt Parker had benefited from his extended break after a less than convincing first-up defence against Razvan Cojanu when Fury pulled out of the scheduled Auckland fight at the last minute, citing a back injury.
Parker, 25, had managed to shake off the shoulder and elbow issues that had dogged him over the past year and was training strongly, acutely aware of the importance of finally getting a fight in Britain which is now seen as the hotbed for heavyweights.
‘‘Joe is very driven at the moment. He wants to look great. He knows that his last performance wasn’t his best work, and we want make sure that this fight is something to be proud of,’’ Barry said.
‘‘The first three weeks here would be as good as I’ve ever had off Joe in the last four-and-a-half years. He’s very motivated, training very purposely ... he realises the opportunity that he has with this fight and what a successful defence will bring us.
‘‘It’s a real exciting time for us. We are pumped to be getting to the UK..’’
Barry saw only positives out of having a second camp totally dedicated to Fury, whose height and fight style make for an awkward night where Parker will surely have to dictate the pace of the bout.
‘‘I have modified it and changed a few things up, even brought back some things from our early days. All in all, we have a very balanced training camp.’’
Parker faces four more weeks of sparring before heading to London to taper and then shifting north to Manchester in the middle of the fight week.
Barry has two new tall sparring partners coming on board for Parker over the next two weeks. ‘‘One in particular will give a lot better than what Hughie Fury will give,’’ the veteran trainer predicted. Veteran Supercars driver Rick Kelly says Scott McLaughlin has got what it takes to win this year’s championship but warns not to rule out the Triple Eight cars.
McLaughlin is leading the Supercars championship by 129 points over second placed Jamie Whincup, with Fabian Coulthard and Shane van Gisbergen not far behind.
The 24-year-old from Christchurch is now favourite to win this year’s championship,
Although McLaughlin’s DJR Team Penske team-mate Coulthard is in the hunt, The Triple Eight Red Bull Racing cars driven by Whincup and van Gisbergen are looming large. ‘‘Scotty is definitely driving at the level to win a championship,’’ Kelly said. ‘‘Also, the team behind him has also developed into one that’s capable of beating everyone else and winning the championship.
‘‘When you combine those two things, he’s going to be very difficult to beat, but in saying that, Triple Eight have had a dominant 10 or so years and I’d say Shane van Gisbergen is probably the most talented driver in the series.
‘‘He’s going to be a real threat to those guys, but the thing Scotty has got going for him at the moment his just that outright pace. The string of pole positions he’s had (10 of the last 12 races) makes him so hard to beat, because qualifying is so important.’’
The next race in the season is at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend. After that it’s the three enduro rounds at Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast, followed by the ITM Auckland Super Sprint on November 3-5.
The Pukekohe track is one of the favourites for the Supercars drivers and it’s also one of the fastest.
There was doubt about the future of the New Zealand event, but a new three year agreement to remain as the venue is close to being signed off.
Kelly says it’s crucial for a number of reasons that Supercars keeps coming back to New Zealand.
‘‘Personally I think it’s very important because I love coming here,’’ he said.