Last June, when Tyson Fury made his ESPN debut against German ?berNobody Tom Schwarz, many forgave the Gypsy King for the softball matchmaking. After all, it was Fury?s first bout back after his controversial draw with Deontay Wilder and, perhaps more importantly, the first bout of his multi-fight $100 million deal with the mainstream sports channel.
Schwarz was an understandable soft touch but, to Fury?s credit, the big Irishman delivered a brutally beautiful show in showcasing his ability to entertain without using his mic skills.
And when Fury did away with Schwarz, the promise was that the showcasing, spotlighting, getting-to-know stuff was all done. Now, Fury would get to the serious business of proving why the suits at ESPN were willing to give him that absurdly large contract.
Fury was going to take over the world and, according to new co-promoter Bob Arum, was ?a force of nature,? second in charisma to only Muhammad Ali, a new era George Foreman, ?easily the best heavyweight in the world, maybe one of the all-time best heavyweights,? who ?can knock out every heavyweight in the world? and could very well surpass Mayweather-Pacquiao numbers with his rematch against Deontay Wilder.
Names like Jarrell Miller and Kubrat Pulev were tossed out there as Fury foes for fight number two at the ?Worldwide Leader.? Former world titlist Charles Martin was also mentioned as a possibility. With the rematch against Wilder reportedly in the works for early next year, it was time for world domination.
And then came word that Fury would be fighting Swedish meatball Otto Wallin next.
To say that the undefeated 28-year-old Wallin, from Sundsvall, Sweden, hasn?t fought anyone of note is an understatement. Wallin?s empty record makes one doubt their own status as a faithful, informed fight fan?How is it possible that you don?t know a single one of the twenty opponents a world ranked heavyweight has faced?
Like Schwarz before him, Wallin looks decent against the limited opposition he?s faced. And, also like Schwarz, he?s probably going to be ripped apart by Fury.
Deontay Wilder was quick to jump on Fury for his opponent selection.
?He keeps pulling out all these night shift graveyard workers? Bulls*** at its best,? Wilder said. ?No Englishman?s coming over here, saving America with Tom Schwarz and Otto whoever he is, talking about ?he?s the best? with an invisible belt.?
Now, granted, Wilder has faced his own share of ?graveyard workers,? but never as a nine-figure signee to a mainstream sports network who is being peddled as this era?s Ali, Foreman, and as, basically, the savior of the American fight scene.
The funny thing is that Fury hasn?t yet proven himself to be anything at all on the American fight scene. His big debut at the MGM Grand against Schwarz only generated $882,000 from the live gate at the two-thirds empty arena. And, despite getting some post-signing attention from the ESPN main stage, the network stuck his first fight on the ESPN+ streaming app and will put this second fight there, too.
It makes you wonder how Fury is going to take over the world with his all-around awesomeness if only a relative handful of people can actually see him fight behind the streaming paywall and, of those who CAN see him, few will care to see him fight Otto Wallin.
?What?s not to like?? Fury told Complex.com back in June, before the Schwarz fight. ?I get paid $100 million to have fun basically.?
There?s no denying that beating up guys like Schwarz and Wallin in no-stress fights while tap dancing and singing and mugging to the camera is good fun, it might not be good fun for the ones dishing out the $100 million for very minimal return.
But this whole ESPN-Fury deal is rather confusing when you think about it. Sometimes, it really doesn?t look like ESPN cares all that much about getting a return on their investment. Why build up to a lucrative cross-promotion, cross-network pay-per-view with Wilder by sticking their guy on their streaming app where the fewest number of people can see him? Why greenlight the piss-poor opponent selection? Maybe there?s a method to their madness or, maybe, they just don?t know what the hell they?re doing.
At any rate, Fury?s a $100 million guy and he?s getting that filthy lucre by beating up the Tom Schwarzs and Otto Wallins of the boxing world. In a robbing-from-the-rich Robin Hood sense, that?s swell. It doesn?t do much for the sport of boxing, though.
