HE’S GONNA FIGHT DIRTY
Swell hath no Fury like a Tyson scorned
Tyson Fury’s gone so X-rated in his pre-fight press junkets it’s a surprise his showdown with Deontay Wilder isn’t being shown on the pay-per-view smutty channels.
One minute the big fella is mouthing off about the naughty way he’s been strengthening his jaw muscles, next he’s admitted he’s doing a bit of bedroom DIY up to seven times a day to boost his testosterone.
Fair play, it’s always wise to cut back when you’re an athlete...
It’s not all been blue, mind you. There’s been some other crackers he’s come out with in the build-up. Like when he said he’s been dipping his hands in petrol for five minutes at a time to toughen up his knuckles.
That sounds a bit dangerous when he’s also using his hands to keep himself occupied so often – but presumably he’s not lit any candles in the vicinity.
There’s been plenty of other eye-raising comments along the way. The guff about training with Conor McGregor with a view to taking over UFC – which was news to the Irishman – and nonsense about bare-knuckle fighting on the side.
It’s all been good fun and at least he managed to avoid repeating some of the outrageous homophobic claptrap of a few years ago.
No, new-look Fury might be rough and rude but he’s toeing the corporate line these days.
And no one can say he isn’t good value outside of the ring.
He’s a PR man’s dream and done a grand job of selling this fight. No doubt the number of folk parting with their 20-odd quid to tune in will be through the roof.
Fury can certainly talk the talk.
Now he needs to walk the walk.
In fairness, he has done so far in his career. His CV might not exactly be choc-a-bloc with opposition from out of the top drawer but there are a couple of big names he can claim to have either taken down or at least given a game.
He wasn’t given much of a hope when he beat Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko five years ago but he upset the odds.
The sands of time have muddled the memories but that fight was an absolute stinker. The pair barely lobbed 500 punches between them and were lucky to land 25 per cent of them over a dozen sleep-inducing rounds in Dusselfdorf.
Then again, the first fight with Wilder was a belter.
Fury outboxed the American but was floored by the kind of punch that would have had most heavyweights waking up in a different dimension. His rise from the canvas to see out the fight and claim the draw was the stuff of legend. But it’s been pretty dull since then for Fury.
Sure, he scuttled Tom Schwartz in a couple of rounds but the German was just hiring himself out as a human punchbag.
The points win over Otto Wallin – another guy who is only recognised in his own house – wasn’t exactly enthralling either.
Fury needs a big win and it’s time for him to show there’s a few more strings to his bow.
There’s absolutely no doubt there is talent there. He’s fast and slippery, he attacks at angles that can bamboozle opponents and he can wear them down.
But he could do with landing a couple of big bombs for one. Prove he’s also a puncher. That’s what separates the best from the rest in the heavyweight division. Dancing only gets you so far. Wilder has the power.
He has knocked dozens of fighters – also mostly bums – out of their jammies and almost read Fury a bedtime story last time.
The Bronze Bomber will be looking to put the lights out this time and if Fury has any sense, he’ll stick to his tried-and-tested game plan of staying either out of range or too close in to hit, while building up the points.
That kind of display can earn him the hardware but it won’t get him hits on YouTube in the years to come. No one Googles the 10 best ground-out wins.
Punters want KOs and what makes the heavyweight division so captivating is the fact the big finishes can come out of nowhere.
The purists will talk about the sweet science but it’s the casual pay-per-view punters who pay the wages and they want fireworks.
Fury has been relying on his right hand for fun – now he needs to put it to far more destructive use.