In previewing the third bout between undefeated two-time
Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and longtime contender and former world
title challenger Dereck Chisora, this observer pointed out that the trilogy
bout between the current holder of the WBC World Heavyweight championship and
the former European Heavyweight champion Chisora did not come in the standard
way that most think of when it comes to a series of three fights between two
fighters. While it was indeed true that Fury had won both of the previous
encounters, including stopping Chisora in the second bout eight years ago, the
question going into the third fight for the champion was whether or not he was
looking past the challenger and toward a potential unification bout in 2023
against undefeated unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr
Usyk for what would be the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world.
An additional question that I personally had in mind
given not only what had occurred in the previous two meetings between Fury and
Chisora, but specifically given Fury’s status going into the third fight as a
significant favorite, was whether Fury could produce a statement-making
performance and close the book on the trilogy in convincing fashion. It was
also worth wondering whether at an advanced stage of his career, if Chisora
could produce an upset the likes of which would be one of the top in the history
of the Heavyweight division.
With a crowd of over 60,000 in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night in London, England, Fury showed that he was not looking ahead to a more
lucrative bout to come in the near future. Although Chisora came out
aggressively in the first round and did what a shorter fighter is theoretically
supposed to do against a taller and longer fighter in trying to push the 6’9 268lb.
Fury back by going to the body and applying pressure, it was not long before
Fury put on a full display of his Boxing skills. Following the opening round
where the challenger seemed to land more punches, Fury began using his reach,
angles, and combination punching to gradually administer a beating on the
longtime contender. One of the primary weapons that the champion used in doing
that was his jab, followed by overhand rights, and mixing his punches in
combination to keep the 6’1 ½ Chisora at a distance where Fury could hit him
and the challenger could only occasionally return offense. Another weapon that
was noticeable in this fight as was the case in Fury’s last title defense in
April against top contender Dillian Whyte was the use of the right uppercut
that the champion used when Chisora tried to duck under his long reach and attempted
to get on the inside.
Although Chisora as has been the case throughout his career
remained very “Game” and was able to hit Fury sporadically, particularly with
flush overhand rights, as the fight progressed, one question came to mind as it
became clear that Fury would be able to take what Chisora had to offer and
continue dominating the combat, how long would the fight last? While no one can
take anything away from the heart a fighter shows during a fight, this was the
type of fight that I frankly worried that if it were not stopped as the one-way
beating continued, it may have resulted in permanent injury for Chisora.
It was after all only recently that Aidos Yerbossynuly
was hospitalized with a severe brain injury after being stopped by undefeated
Super-Middleweight contender David Morrell. The commonalities between that
fight and this one was clearly apparent. Both Yerbossynuly and Chisora were too
brave for their own good and both fights were allowed to go on well beyond
where they should have been stopped. In a scenario that was similar to the
second encounter between Fury and Chisora where Fury stopped him in ten rounds
in a mostly one-sided fight, the third bout between the two would also be
stopped with just ten seconds remaining in the tenth round when Referee Victor
Loughlin finally decided that Chisora had taken enough punishment.
Although in some ways Fury’s performance and to be more
specific the dominance he showed in this fight reminded me of two dominant
Heavyweight champions from a recent era in the sport, brothers Vitali and Wladimir
Klitschko, the latter of whom Fury defeated to win his first world championship
in November 2015 in that he was so dominant that the outcome of the fight was
formulaic, I found myself openly questioning why the fight was allowed to go
into the tenth round. No one should take anything away from Dereck Chisora for
the heart and frankly mettle he showed in this fight and has shown for his
entire career, but as was the case several weeks ago following David Morrell’s
twelfth round stoppage of Aidos Yerbossynuly, I feel that both Chisora’s corner
as well as Referee Victor Loughlin allowed this to go on well beyond where it
should have been stopped.
A fighter’s mentality, at least most of the time where a
boxer does not determine on their own that they have taken enough punishment
and decide to retire from a fight, is to keep fighting no matter what where the
only way a fight will be stopped is either that fighter being knocked out, or
being able to go the distance. What is not factored into the equation is the amount
of punishment a fighter suffers in the process. It is therefore, the
responsibility of both the referee officiating a bout and more specifically a
fighter’s corner to know when enough is enough and to protect a fighter from
themselves in order to hopefully prevent the possibility of permanent injury.
While in this case Dereck Chisora was able to leave the
ring and by all accounts at least as of this writing seems to be okay following
this fight, the subject of when a fight should be stopped is something that
yours truly feels needs to be addressed by the various state athletic commissions,
international regulatory boards, and sanctioning organizations that appoint
referees to official bouts. It should also be explained to those working a
fighter’s corner that they are the first line of protection to ensure that
their fighter can exit competition safely. Although thankfully there was no
instance of severe injury resulting from this fight, preventing and perhaps protocols
need to be implemented in the future at every level of the sport.
As for Tyson Fury, if a bout between he and Oleksandr
Usyk is indeed the aim going into 2023, he has done his part to set up the
potential Undisputed Heavyweight championship fight. Perhaps the champion will
choose to have one more fight prior to a potential bout with Usyk. If that were
the case, top contenders Joe Joyce, who is currently unbeaten and the WBO’s top
Heavyweight contender and WBA number one contender Daniel Dubois, who scored a
third round stoppage of Kevin Lerena after being dropped three times in the
first round on the undercard of Fury’s second stoppage of Dereck Chisora, would
both be good potential options for Fury, particularly if the champion wants to continue
fighting for the time being in the United Kingdome where both fighters much
like Whyte and Chisora before them, have sizable followings and could likely help
sell a stadium out to challenge Fury.
With two victories in 2022 now in the books, if Fury is
done toying with retirement, it is hard to say that he would not be favored over
Usyk, Joyce, or Dubois given both his size and skillset, which seems to be
improving with every fight. No matter who the current WBC world champion fights
next, there are some interesting times and possibilities ahead in the
Heavyweight division heading into 2023. The only question might be could either
of the three potential opponents or perhaps a contender not currently in the
mix pose a challenge for Fury.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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