When
Heavyweights Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury met in July of 2011 for the British
and Commonwealth Heavyweight championships both were unbeaten as professionals,
yet also untested on the world level of the sport. In what was an entertaining
fight it was Fury who outworked Chisora who faded down the stretch in route to
a twelve round unanimous decision. An argument could be made that the fight
between the two British Heavyweights established both as players in the
division.
In the near
three years since that encounter both fighters have gone on to establish
themselves as top contenders. Dereck Chisora went on to challenge Vitali
Klitschko for the WBC world championship and frankly gave the champion a much
more difficult fight than some had expected in defeat. Chisora would then go on
to suffer a knockout loss at the hands of two division world champion David
Haye in July of 2012.
Following
three straight losses including a controversial decision loss to undefeated contender
Robert Helenius, a fight that many, this observer included, felt he had won
prior to his title shot against Klitschko, one could well have had the opinion
that there was some doubt as to Chisora’s future as a top contender in the
Heavyweight division. It is after all not an easy task to bounce back following
a string of losses.
One thing
that Chisora did do in his losses to Helenius, Klitschko, and Haye was earn the
respect of Boxing fans for the “Game” effort he put forth in each of those
fights. Questions however, regarding whether Chisora could bounce back from
those defeats were warranted.
Chisora began
his comeback in April of last year scoring a ninth round knockout of journeyman
contender Hector Avila. This would set the stage for a fight that would end in
somewhat controversial fashion when Chisora stopped top contender Malik Scott
three months later as Scott was counted out while on one knee on the canvas in
the sixth round and seemed to get up right as Referee Phil Edwards had
concluded his count. Although the bout ended controversially it was a
competitive fight all the way through and put Chisora right back in the mix.
Chisora would go on to score two more victories to close out 2013 including
winning the vacant European Heavyweight championship against Edmund Gerber and
moving up into the top ten in both the WBC and IBF Heavyweight ratings.
Tyson Fury
meanwhile one might argue has not been given the opportunity to show what he
can do against the best that the division has to offer since he defeated
Chisora nearly three years ago. Despite remaining undefeated since his fight
with Chisora, Fury has found it difficult to secure marquee fights. Fury
however, was tested in his last fight against former IBF Cruiserweight world
champion Steve Cunningham in April of last year. The 6’3 Cunningham dropped the
6’9 Fury for the first time in his career in the second round before ultimately
falling to Fury in the seventh round.
Since the
Cunningham fight Fury has been inactive due to a potential clash with David
Haye falling through not once, but twice. For both Chisora and Fury 2014 could
represent the year that both could find themselves in position to challenge for
the World Heavyweight Championship. Ironically it would appear that the path to
a title shot for both could lead to each other once again. When these two
fought in 2011, both were seeking a position in the world rankings and each
were looking to establish themselves as legitimate contenders. A rematch
between the two could well lead to one either getting his second opportunity at
a world title or the other getting his first.
Before a
potential rematch can be discussed however, both Chisora and Fury will
co-headline a card this weekend at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.
Chisora will face fellow former world title challenger Kevin Johnson in a fight
scheduled for twelve rounds with Chisora’s WBA and WBO International
Heavyweight titles at stake.
Although the
international titles that will be on the line in this fight might not seem to
be of much value to some, what is really at stake here is higher positioning in
the Heavyweight ratings and such titles can be used as a catalyst to elevate a
fighter toward a potential world title shot. The 6’1 Chisora will face a
fighter in Johnson who can box and has good lateral movement.
One might
argue however, that this fight could represent Johnson’s last chance to
reemerge as a contender in the Heavyweight division. Johnson comes into this
fight having lost three of his last six fights including a lopsided decision
loss to Tyson Fury in December of 2012.
Johnson does
however, have Boxing skills and will no doubt be looking to make full use of
his eighty-two inch reach to keep Chisora on the outside. One could expect that
Chisora’s fight plan as it has been in previous fights will be to simply
attempt to walk his opponent down applying pressure and looking to get on the
inside where he can be effective. It is unlikely with an eight inch
disadvantage in reach working against him that Chisora could win this fight on
the outside.
Johnson has
also never been stopped in thirty-four professional fights and it will be
interesting to see should Chisora be able to get inside Johnson’s reach if he
can do what four previous opponents who have scored victories, including Vitali
Klitschko could not do and stop Kevin Johnson. In the co-main event Tyson Fury
will take on late replacement and one time contender Joey Abell in a fight
scheduled for ten rounds.
Out of these
two fights, there could be an opinion of some fans and experts alike that this
is a mismatch and that Joey Abell is a considerable underdog heading into this
fight. This opinion would likely be based on Abell’s having suffered three
knockout losses in his last five fights including losses to top contenders
Chris Arreola and Kubrat Purlev.
Even though
this fight would appear to have all the signs of a fighter being brought in as
an opponent for a top contender in a would be “Tune-up” for Fury with a
potential big money rematch looming down the road, there could be a reason for
caution. Last Friday Fury suffered a cut over his left eye while sparring with
former world title challenger Eddie Chambers.
Under
circumstances when a fighter suffers a cut in training, one would be likely to
assume that the fight would at minimum be postponed in order to allow that
fighter’s cut adequate time to heal. Fury however, has insisted that he will go
through with the fight as scheduled and as of this writing there is no
indication that the fight will not take place.
In some ways
the cut suffered by Fury going into this fight has reminded me of circumstances
Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. found himself in prior to his first fight with Oscar De
La Hoya in June of 1996. Chavez suffered a cut over his left eye just days
before the fight with De La Hoya, which subsequently led to his downfall. The
cut reopened leaving Chavez a bloody mess before the fight was stopped in the
fourth round, subsequently costing Chavez his Jr. Welterweight world title.
It goes
without saying that there is always a danger for a fighter to get cut in any
fight. Although I can certainly understand Tyson Fury’s eagerness to get back
in the ring after spending nearly a year on the sidelines, it is a risk that
could prove to be costly. Although Joey Abell is considered by some to be a
stepping stone for Fury in this fight, he could quite frankly end up benefiting
from questionable judgment by Fury to go ahead with the fight. Whether or not
the cut will become a factor in this fight remains to be seen.
As was the
case when Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury met nearly three years ago, this card
has generated attention outside the United Kingdom and will be televised in
Canada on the Fight Network. It can also be viewed via pay-per-view throughout
the United States through both cable and satellite providers as well as being
offered on a pay-per-view basis across the Internet worldwide on Go Fight Live
Network (WWW.GFL.TV).
As the
Heavyweight division could be heading toward a period of transition of sorts,
the Boxing world continues to look for the next dominant Heavyweight force who
might take over the division in the post-Klitschko era. With the recent
retirement of Vitali Klitschko, there is, but only one Klitschko left standing
atop the Heavyweight division… Wladimir Klitschko the IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO unified
world champion. At nearly thirty-eight years old however, one does have to
wonder how much longer Wladimir intends to keep fighting.
It is
certainly possible that whomever should emerge victorious this weekend and
whomever could emerge out of a potential Chisora-Fury rematch could be likely
opponents for Klitschko down the line. How much further down the line is a
subject for debate.
This card
however, should serve as another reminder that Boxing is truly a global sport
and that there is a demand from fight fans worldwide to have access to the best
of what the sport has to offer no matter where it is taking place. No matter
what should transpire this weekend, it is my hope that the trend of the sport
of Boxing being presented on a global scale to all who seek it, is a trend that
continues.
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing
Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison
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