There have been times throughout Boxing history where
fighters who have established themselves as stars of the sport have been placed
on the same card, with the intention at least in theory of should those
fighters be successful in separate bouts that it would lead to a potential
lucrative fight between the two down the road. Such a scenario took place last
Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in London, England as Heavyweight contenders
and former opponents Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury co-headlined a much-anticipated
doubleheader.
When such scenarios take place it is not uncommon to see a
surprise emerge from time to time that may disrupt any potential plans for a
big money fight between the two headliners. Unlike when Oscar De La Hoya and
Bernard Hopkins co-headlined a card under similar circumstances in June 2004,
where Felix Sturm nearly disrupted the plans for a Hopkins-De La Hoya mega
fight, by giving De La Hoya a much more difficult fight than many had expected,
the card co-headlined by Fury and Chisora would produce no such drama.
Tyson Fury was first to enter the ring last Saturday and the
primary question leading up to his fight with Joey Abell, was whether or not a
cut that Fury suffered in sparring a week prior to the bout would play a factor.
Fury was also entering the ring for the first time in nearly a year due to
former two-division world champion David Haye pulling out of a scheduled fight
with Fury twice over the last year. Some may have questioned whether or not
ring rust would also play a factor.
It was apparent early on that there was no ring rust as Fury
established a solid jab and dictated the fight keeping Abell at distance. Fury
also however, showed his vulnerability as Abell was able to catch the 6’9 Fury with left hands periodically. Although
Abell was able to land occasionally, an argument could be made that Fury gave
one of his most impressive performances of his career in this fight. Fury not
only showed the ability to keep his opponent at distance with a consistent jab,
but in doing so he also showed his Boxing ability, which could be underrated.
Fury dropped Abell with a beautifully timed right hand in
the final minute of round three and would score three more knockdowns before
the fight was stopped in round four. An impressive and dominant performance by
a fighter in Fury who might be in line for a title shot before the end of this
year. In terms of a potential rematch with Dereck Chisora, Fury more than held
up his end by turning in an impressive knockout victory. It was now time for
Dereck Chisora to enter the ring against fellow former world title challenger
Kevin Johnson.
In the prelude to this fight, this observer stated that
Chisora would face a fighter in Johnson, who had good lateral movement and
Boxing ability. An argument could well be made that this bout was an
interesting fight stylistically. It could also be said however, that even if a
fight looks interesting on paper, it does not always translate into a competitive
or entertaining fight.
Chisora consistently forced the action using good head
movement to deflect the consistent jab of Johnson. Chisora landed the harder
punches of the two and was able to keep Johnson on the defensive. Chisora
scored a knockdown of Johnson in the fifth round with an overhand right and
continued to press the action throughout to earn a twelve round unanimous
decision. With the exception of his jab, Johnson just did not offer much in the
way of resistance for Chisora. Prior to this fight I stated that this fight
could have represented Johnson’s last chance to reemerge as a contender in the
division having dropped three of his last six fights prior to taking on
Chisora.
Whether or not Johnson had a game plan in mind for Chisora
is only a question that he can answer, for he clearly did seem a bit reluctant
to engage in this fight. Johnson does have Boxing skills, but for whatever
reason he just could not execute in this fight. Now that Johnson has lost to
notable fighters Dereck Chisora, Tyson Fury, and Vitali Klitschko in his
career, one might argue that Johnson is at a point in his career where he might
be labeled a journeyman.
Although it is hard ignore that stance, it is important to
remember that no one has been able to stop Johnson inside the distance and Klitschko,
Fury, and Chisora each had their fair share of trouble getting to Johnson,
despite winning by wide margins on scorecards. It would not be hard to envision
some fans and experts writing Johnson off after this latest setback. This
observer would not necessarily agree with such an opinion, but one thing is
clear my mind. Johnson does have the talent and skills to be a top-tier
Heavyweight. It is just a matter of whether he makes full use of those skills
in the future and if he can, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he
could bounce back.
Following this card I commented on Twitter that sometimes a
win is a win and that Chisora’s victory over Johnson should be viewed as a
positive. Coming out of this card there were no surprises or obstacles that
emerged that might have stood in the way of a potential Fury-Chisora rematch. The
card did however, shine the spotlight on two top Heavyweight contenders who
will likely remain key players in the division for years to come. Sometimes for
fighters it is not always about entertainment value as much as it is maintaining
their position in their division. Both Chisora and Fury did what they had to do
at the end of the day. Both emerged victorious in their respective bouts and
likely produced the desired results in terms of a potential rematch between the
two.
Even though both fighters named other potential opposition
following their fights, a rematch in my mind seems to make the most sense for
both. A key difference between when these two fought in 2011 and a potential
rematch is both have become players in the Heavyweight division. Both have
significant followings and it would seem to make sense particularly in terms of
economics for a rematch to take place.
As was the case when these two fought in 2011, interest in a
rematch has spread beyond the UK and should it happen would garner significant
attention. Adding into the equation the potential that a rematch could be
categorized as a world title eliminator to determine a mandatory challenger for
Wladimir Klitschko down the line, for those reasons a rematch certainly makes
sense.
It is also certainly a possibility that both Fury and
Chisora could be in line for Klitschko regardless if either has mandatory
status among the sport’s governing bodies. Could Fury or Chisora be in line to
challenge Klitschko later this year? Anything is possible, but it is more
likely that Wladimir Klitschko will spend much of 2014 making mandatory title
defenses. The first defense will come in April against WBO number one contender
Alex Leapai, with the winner supposedly to face IBF top contender Kubrat
Purlev.
Another thing to consider is the current vacancy of the WBC
world title in the division left by the recently retired Vitali Klitschko. The
vacancy will be filled at some point this year when top contenders Bermane
Stiverne and Chris Arreola meet in a rematch for the vacant championship. This
landscape would seem to leave limited options for both Fury and Chisora in
terms of opponents that most would consider top level opposition although top
contenders such as Deontay Wilder, Alexander Povetkin, and Tomasz Adamek could
also be in the mix for either. The question that I feel may get in the way of
those potential fights to be made for either Fury or Chisora, could be things
involving the business of the sport and where those fights would take place. It
therefore, seems all the more logical in this observer’s eyes to see the two
top British Heavyweights turn their attention to each other once again.
No matter how this landscape plays out it should be an
interesting year and maybe even an exciting one for the Heavyweight division.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison
All Rights Reserved.
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