Every time there?s a controversial decision, mismatched fight or failed drug test in the sport of boxing, naysayers line up to proclaim the death of the sweet science. Imagine if sports fans read eulogies for the NBA every time the Golden State Warriors played the Phoenix Suns. What if NFL fans claimed they would never watch another football game every time an official missed a holding call?
The death knell has likely been tolling for boxing ever since Cain and Abel squared up outside the locked gates of the Garden of Eden. Over the past 15 years, this has been especially true for the heavyweight division. After Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield retired or faded into the background, the ensuing reign of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko featured few legitimate threats to the heavyweight crown(s).
In other words, for a decade and a half, the heavyweight division was filled with snoozefests. Even though boxing?s glamour division may have been dormant, like an immortal jellyfish, it will never die.
Recent earnings and deals made by guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Canelo Alvarez show that the sport of boxing is arguably as popular as ever. WBA, IBO and IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is also one of boxing?s major breadwinners, averaging around $20M for his recent bouts.
With the Klitschko brothers out of the picture, three undefeated heavyweights have legitimate championship claims: Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
Wilder (40-0-0, 39 KO) and Fury (27-0-0, 19 KO) will face off Saturday night in the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Showtime PPV.
Though both men fit right in in today?s era of towering heavyweights, the styles of the 6-foot-7 Wilder and the 6-foot-9 Fury couldn?t be more different.
Wilder is a powerful, athletic and wild free-swinging machine. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for in raw power. Bermaine Stiverne is so far the only man to have lasted 12 rounds with The Bronze Bomber. In 2005, Wilder defeated Stiverne by a unanimous decision to win the WBC World Heavyweight Title. When the two men met again in a rematch last November, Wilder blasted out Stiverne in the first round. That means Wilder has knocked out every single man he?s faced in the ring.
Fury is more like the old, fat version of James Toney. He looks more like a professional truck driver than a professional fighter. Fury does not appear especially muscular or fit. In fact, he often shows up to the ring with flabs instead of abs. However, once the bell rings morphs into one heck of a boxer.
Often working behind a nice jab, solid movement and agility that defies his massive size, Fury is usually able to jab his smaller opponents to death while avoiding any significant return fire.
The man who is known for clowning around both inside and outside the ring was largely thought to be a joke until he boxed circles around Wladimir Klitschko three years ago. The loss was ?Dr. Steelhammer?s? first in more than 11 years. The victory earned Fury the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles.
Unfortunately for Fury, inactivity due to a battle with drugs and alcohol caused him to eventually be stripped of all his belts. While he currently doesn?t hold any titles around his waist, he has yet to taste defeat. Therefore he is still considered to be the lineal heavyweight champion ? the man who beat the man.
PPV Worthy?
Despite the magnitude of this fight in terms of the future of the heavyweight division, Showtime is taking quite a gamble by placing this fight on pay per view. Even though the fight features two undefeated fighters oozing in personality, neither fighter is a household name here in the States. Furthermore, Saturday?s fight will be the first time each fighter headlines a PPV card in the U.S.
To make matters worse, Showtime and most cable/satellite providers are charging a whopping $74.95 for the fight. Just because fight fans will fork over $100 to watch Mayweather doesn?t mean they?ll drop $75 for this fight, especially with a weak undercard leading up to the main event.
With subscription services such as DAZN and ESPN+ putting on quality fights for monthly costs of $9.99 and $4.99 per month, it?s hard to see traditional PPV providers being able to command big bucks as they have in the past. That?s a big reason why HBO read the tea leaves and got out of the boxing business.
In reality, this should be featured on regular Showtime. As a PPV, it would likely have to be listed at half the price, say $34.99, to rack up the buys.
Prediction
Enough about the money. Showtime, Wilder and Fury have enough in the bank to be OK. Who?s going to win?
At 33-years-old, Wilder is three years older than Fury. Due to a two-year layoff and his personal battles, it seems as if Fury is the older fighter. He?s still in the process of knocking off the ring rust from his extended absence.
Meanwhile, Wilder appears to be in his prime. He?s coming off impressive, consecutive KO?s against Stiverne and Luis Ortiz. While his style is still quite wild and awkward, Wilder has developed into a better boxer than many people credit him to be. Technically though, he?s not quite on Fury?s level.
Expect Fury to have some early success using his jab and lateral movement. Unfortunately for Fury, he won?t have the power to deter Wilder?s aggression or the stamina to avoid it for very long.
Back in 2013, longtime cruiserweight Steve Cunningham put Fury on his backside with a looping right hand. Even at cruiserweight, Cunningham was never known as a heavy hitter. Fury was able to get off the mat and stop Cunningham in the seventh round.
Should Wilder connect with the same punch, which is his specialty, Fury won?t get up. Fury?s ring rust will turn into sleeping dust. I?m taking Deontay Wilder by KO in the 8th round of an entertaining scrap.
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