Boxing and wrestling have always had an uneasy relationship. Comparisons don?t come easily, as their differences exceed their similarities, but there are enough crossover elements for fans of one to sometimes be fans of the other, depending on their expectations, tastes, and the extent of their arrested development.
To the surprise of no one, former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is a big fan of wrestling. Not the old-timey Greco-Roman stuff, where a couple of guys grapple on a mat to establish their superiority, but wrestling of the WWE flash-bang-boom variety, which took the world by storm many years ago and eventually added T&A, steroids, and unsophisticated narratives where good and evil go head-to-head for the delectation of its fans.
But there must something to wrestling. If it were totally fake, fewer wrestlers would end up disabled and die before their time.
On October 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fury will make his wrestling debut in a WWE ?Crown Jewel? pay-per-view event against someone named Braun Strowman. Stroman has a big beard and big body and describes himself as a ?monster among men.? Some of us might consider wrestling a step down from the rigors of boxing, but the money is exceptional, especially by theatrical standards, and it can be had without getting cut or dropped flat on one?s back by a man who can punch.
Other fighters in the past have wrestled; some legitimately before they began boxing, some when they were down on their luck and had no other choice, and some for the hell of it and easy money. Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Jersey Joe Walcott, Buster Douglas, Butterbean, Chuck Wepner, and Roberto Duran partook of the ?sport,? and most of them were none the worse for wear when all was said done.
Fury?s co-promoter, Top Rank?s Bob Arum, set the stage for the upcoming ?very, very unique event? at Friday?s press conference to announce the wrestling match.
?I go back a long way with WWE,? Arum said. ?In 1974, I met a then-29-year-old Vincent Kennedy McMahon and together we promoted the Evel Knievel jump over the Snake River Canyon,? which was one of the biggest boondoggles of its day. ?It was a long time ago, but since then, I?m so proud that Vince has built a company, WWE, that?s a worldwide brand, the biggest worldwide entertainment company in the world, that entertains people all over the world. It?s truly remarkable. And also remarkable is the lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, ?The Gypsy King.? He?s not only a great fighter. He reminds me of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. He?s the consummate heavyweight. He entertains in the ring, and he is a tremendous personality. He is a real showman?and that?s why people love him. They know that he fights with his heart on his sleeve. And even though he has a big cut over his eye and blood streaming down his face so he can?t really see, he carries on to victory.?
With ear-splitting music accompanying his entrance, Fury, who described himself as a ?lifelong WWE fan,? stepped to the podium and said, ?It is something I have always dreamed of. I am undefeated in 30 professional contests and when I go to Saudi Arabia to fight Braun Strowman, I will still be undefeated. I am going there to knock Braun Strowman out.?
Fury had been flirting with WWE in recent weeks, putting in an appearance at Smackdown, followed by an appearance on Monday Night Raw, to initiate a fake feud with Strowman. Fury was, as expected, as confident as ever, saying, ?I fear no man. I am going to knock Strowman out.?
Strowman wasn?t buying it (that?s for wrestling and/or Fury fans to do) and said, ?Tyson heed my warning. In the WWE, we don?t wear gloves,? before adding, ?You are climbing into my world. You are a household name and when these hands put you down for good, the whole world will remember who the monster among men Braun Strowman is.?
Presumably, this is a one-off. If a second fight with Deontay Wilder fails to materialize, maybe a recording contract is next. Fury can sing a dozen of his favorite tunes on an album titled, if I may be so bold, The Gypsy King?s Greatest Hits.
