SONAHR: November 30, 2014 – After a year of postponements, cancellations and pullouts from fights involving everyone from David Haye to Alexander Ustinov, British heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury finally stepped into the ring last night. Fury proceeded to vent his frustration on opponent Dereck Chisora, who had lost by decision in their first fight in July of 2011. The rematch had been postponed earlier by a training-camp injury suffered by Chisora. Ustinov was offered as a last-minute replacement, but Fury declined the match due to a sudden grave illness in his family.
Last night, Fury took out his dissatisfaction on Chisora, who did not answer the bell for the 11th round of their scheduled 12-round contest. The bout was billed as an elimination match to determine the next challenger for Wladimir Klitschko?s WBO heavyweight title. Now Fury, who has long expressed his desire to fight either Wladimir or his now-retired brother Vitali, stands on the threshold of fulfilling that dream.
Fury?s victory was decisive, but not exactly easy. Sporting a shaven head and a bit of midriff bulge, he had to endure punishment to the body and the occasional wild-swinging head shot from his determined rival. However, Fury came back with enough jabs and heavy punches of his own to convince Chisora that he?d had enough after 10 rounds. Fury was unable to put Chisora on the canvas. But he did turn Chisora?s face into something that resembled a jack-o-lantern a month after Halloween.
So now, Fury is the WBO?s mandatory heavyweight title contender. But that doesn?t necessarily mean he gets the next shot at Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko?s dream is to unify all four major sanctioning organizations? titles. The only belt he doesn?t hold is that of the WBC, which currently belongs to Bermane Stiverne, who won it after Vitali Klitschko vacated to go into Ukrainian politics.
Stiverne is scheduled to defend against undefeated power-puncher Deontay Wilder in February. A showdown with the winner of that clash has to be paramount on Wladimir?s radar screen. But if he doesn?t fight Fury, he risks being stripped of the WBO?s title, which would throw a wrench into Klitschko?s unification aspirations.
Given those circumstances, Klitschko is likely to give Fury his shot early in the coming year. At 6-foot-9, Fury is a couple of inches taller than the big Ukrainian. But that?s Fury?s only advantage. Even though his is undefeated in 23 fights, with 17 knockouts, Fury has not demonstrated that he possesses either the skill or punching power needed to beat Klitschko, who is still at the top of his game.
The best bet is that Klitschko will dispose of Fury as easily as he dispatched Kubrat Pulev earlier this month. Then he?ll take on the winner of the Stiverne-Wilder contest. My cracked crystal ball tells me Wilder will knock Stiverne out, setting up a unification bout with Klitschko that will be the richest-ever heavyweight championship contest. Wilder is, after all, an American, and the Americans have been starving for one of their own to take back the crown that was their sole property until Lennox Lewis, the Klitschko brothers, and a bunch of other Eastern Europeans turned the American big boys into a laughingstock along the lines of the infamous British ?horizontal heavyweights? back in the day.
If Wilder is as good as he seems to be, the laughter will end by this time next year. But that?s a big ?if.?
