TYSON FURY VS. DILLIAN WHYTE REVIEW: THE GYPSY KING SINKS THE BODY SNATCHER IN THE SIXTH

 

By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove

Wembley Stadium

If Saturday night proves to be the final night of Tyson Fury’s career, then he will have performed yet another rare feat during his tumultuous boxing career, by becoming one of the very few world champions who chose to walk away while they were still ‘king of the hill’. With his sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte before a record-breaking audience of 94,000, Tyson showed that he is not just the best heavyweight in the world, but if anything at almost 34 years of age, still getting better. Tyson dismantled Whyte with the air of a man watering his garden on a Saturday afternoon. Any fears that the three wars with Deontay Wilder may have taken something out of Fury were shown to be unfounded as ‘The Gypsy King’ first out-boxed, then out-punched ‘The Body Snatcher’ before finally knocking him out of the fight altogether with a clinical right uppercut. Fury did all this with ease, which left the impression that he had barely got out of 2nd gear. In the end, it was easier than many had expected it to be. Whyte was always seemingly a step behind, as ‘The Gypsy King’ showed himself to be a league above his challenger.

Dillian Whyte Enters Ring

The bout began cagily with both men weighing each other up, and few meaningful punches being landed. By the end of the round Fury was already landing with his jab and showing a nimbleness of footwork, which underlined the flat-footed nature of his challenger.

Anyone who believed that Whyte would start the fight fast and aggressively was probably surprised by Whyte's demeanor. Fury is usually always a slow starter, and many felt that the challenger's best chance of victory, (perhaps his only chance) was to go after the champion from the start. Yet Whyte started slowly, stalking Fury but without the fire that might have been expected. Another surprise was that Whyte opened the bout boxing as a southpaw, rather than in his usual orthodox stance. This might have been part of a plan to try and unsettle the champion, but if anything, it seemed to confuse Dillian more than anyone else. Whatever plan lay behind Whyte's change in stance was hastily abandoned after the opening round, and he fought the remainder of the match in his usual orthodox manner. This was always going to be a long shot tactic for Whyte, as Fury is one of the very few fighters who can switch with ease from orthodox to southpaw, so he was never very likely to be bothered by Whyte's rather random attempt at boxing southpaw.

Fury was finding his rhythm by the second round while Whyte was already beginning to struggle with the champion’s speed and movement. Tyson’s greatest attribute has always been not so much his size but the speed and dexterity which he has for a man of his size. Add that to his ring IQ and fitness, which belies his fleshy exterior, and you have a clue to Fury’s success.

It was becoming clear that this was a much sharper and better conditioned ‘Gypsy King’ than we saw against Wilder last October. Weighing in 13 pounds lighter at 264 pounds, Fury’s reflexes and footwork was clearly improved. Fury was displaying the boxing skills that he largely abandoned last October against Wilder, when under trained and ring rusty, he had to resort to going toe-to-toe to win their 3rd and final war.

Fury was pot-shotting Whyte with jabs and the occasional right hand, landing then stepping out of range. As the fight progressed, he was putting more and more weight into his punches.

By the third round, Fury was already beginning to slowly dominate. He was subtly chipping away at Whyte with his left, at times tantalizing his challenger by switching stances that seemed to wrong-foot and befuddle Whyte even more. Always a rather flat-footed fighter, Fury’s nimbleness was making Dillian seem pedestrian and clumsy.

Whyte was already breathing heavily by the 4th stanza and showed some signs of growing frustration as he attempted to drag Fury into a mauling brawl. There were some ugly clinches and wrestling, as the referee seemed to struggle to retain control of the fighters. One such mauling clinch ended with a head butt from Whyte, which ironically resulted in a cut above his right eye.

Fury stepped the pace up in the 5th and some blows visibly hurt Whyte. As well as regularly spearing his challenger with a damaging straight left, Fury was also hurting Whyte with rights to the body. When he returned to his corner at the end of the round, Fury seemed to say to his cornermen ‘Next round’.

The conclusion came near the end of what had been a fairly quiet round. Fury patiently looked for his opening while he jabbed with his left, and Whyte was seemingly out of ideas and constantly tried to hold and maul the champion. When the opening came Fury took it with deadly precision. The end came via a peach of a right uppercut, which deposited Whyte flat on his back. Fury’s hand speed, accuracy, and underrated ability on the inside all came to play into the dramatic finish of this match.

To his credit, Whyte beat the count and tried to convince the referee that he was ok to continue. However, his wobbly and uncoordinated body betrayed the fact that his brain was no longer in charge of his faculties, and the referee’s decision to stop the fight was probably his best action of the night.

It was a brilliant performance by Tyson, who ended the fight unmarked and had barely taken a serious punch. He had outclassed ‘The Body Snatcher’ and underlined his standing in the heavyweight division. Tyson stands head and shoulders over the rest of the division, not just physically, but in all areas which make up a top pugilist.

If anything, judging by this performance, at 34 years of age, Tyson is still improving. After a career plagued by inactivity, (which was usually down to outside issues out of his control) Tyson was finally able to give us a glimpse of what he can do when he is fully trained, healthy, and not coming off a long layoff. Despite the wars with Wilder, Tyson seems to still have a lot left in the tank and a lot more to show if he faces a challenger capable of pushing him more than Dillian Whyte did Saturday night. Should he walk away now while still at his peak? It is a question, which only Tyson Fury himself should decide. Retirement has always been the biggest challenge for most fighters, especially when they are at or near the top of the tree.

Team Fury Celebrating

If he does walk away now, Tyson Fury would be in rare company. Only one other world heavyweight champion has ever retired undefeated while champion and stayed retired, and that was the legendary Rocky Marciano.

Ironically, Britain’s last outstanding world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was also one of the very few to walk away while still world champion, but he was not undefeated, like the ‘Gypsy King’.

On one hand, it would be nice to see Fury face the winner of Usyk vs Joshua, ‘The Gypsy King’ brings an atmosphere and excitement to boxing that no one else can match at the moment, certainly in the heavyweight division. If this was Fury’s final boxing match, then he will most definitely be missed. Yet in a way, it would be fitting for Fury to once more mark himself out from the crowd and walk away from boxing despite the riches he can still make from it. A match with either Usyk or Joshua could earn Fury as much as 100 million pounds. But Fury gives the impression that he is tired of dealing with the constant petty politics that comes with dealing with Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn.

While Tyson was brilliant, when looking at Dillian Whyte’s performance, one does have to wonder whether all the preflight shenanigans, such as Whyte refusing to take part in the fight promotional press conferences and the long-running row regarding the cut of his purse, ended up hurting Dillian rather than Fury. ‘The Body Snatcher’ never seemed as fired up, as you would expect for someone finally getting the chance to fight for the world heavyweight championship. Even on his ring entrance, the challenger seemed strangely subdued and almost drained. One also has to question the tactics that Whyte used during the fight. It seemed Dillian's best chance of victory was to try and land one of his big shots. Yet too often he was trying to box with Tyson rather than drag him into a toe-to-toe war. In the end, Whyte seemed to find Tyson too strong as well as too fast and skillful.

Ultimately Whyte did not look like a challenger who believed that he could win. Something which was betrayed by his pre-fight behavior.

As the dust settles on Saturday night it seems that Dillian Whyte is attempting to excuse his defeat with some bizarre claims, the like of which even Deontay Wilder would have been embarrassed to attempt. In the end, it seems that the hapless Whyte (after receiving a career-high purse for a world title fight that he didn’t deserve) is unable to even be a graceful loser.

Fury has done more than enough in and out of the ring to deserve a long and happy retirement. He has battled back from mental health and substance abuse issues which put him in such a state that many found it laughable when he announced his comeback. Incredibly, what a comeback it has been, despite those who still doubted him (including right up to Saturday’s fight!). Tyson has fought back from being a mental and physical wreck to undoubtedly the number one heavyweight in the world and the best heavyweight of his generation. A victory over either Usyk or Joshua would mean little now in the grand scheme of things. Neither man seems to be a true threat to Fury.

Fury has many other opportunities away from boxing, whether it is as an actor, trainer, or even a promoter. It would be sad to see him make the mistake of so many others by staying too long. There will always be more challengers and fights to take. In the end, too many great fighters find themselves ground down by it all until they are beaten and defeated.

Carry on being different Tyson and walk away now.

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Tyson Fury Shakes Up the World: Thanks So Much For Having Me

By Peter Silkov

 

The word ‘upset’ is one that is overused today, along with ‘champion’ and ‘great’, but last night Tyson Fury (25-0, 18koes) certainly performed a genuine, real deal upset, by separating Wladimir Kitsch (64-4, 53koes) from the World heavyweight crown, which he has called his own for over nine and a half years.  In doing so, Fury also snapped Dr Steelhammer’s 11 and a half year unbeaten streak.  Looked at in the cold light of day, this was a magnificent victory for Fury.  Few outside his loyal circle of family and friends gave him a chance of beating Klitschko.  After all, despite being nearly 40 years old, this wasn’t a champion who was showing signs of deterioration in his recent fights.  If anything, the super-fit Klitschko has been enjoying the best form of his career in recent years.
 
The fight itself was not a physical thriller, such as the Ali vs Frazier or Holyfield vs Bowe classic wars, it was a technical chess match, a duel of jabs and feints. The fact that Tyson won this way makes his performance even more noteworthy. Had he knocked out Klitschko, then the early defeats of Dr. Steelhammer would be pointed to, and it could be said that Klitschko was never the most durable of champions.  But, those defeats are a long way away now and with the help of his former trainer, the late Emanuel Steward, Wladimir has long since devised a style that makes him extremely hard to hit cleanly, let alone knock out.

Yet, Fury was able to beat him at his own game, he out-boxed the boxer, out-counter punched the counter puncher.  But perhaps even more importantly, Tyson seems to have won the mind games with Klitschko, both in and out of the ring.  During the fight it was Klitschko who seemed to be the overly cautious, nervy fighter, while Fury seemed to grow in confidence the further that the fight went.

It wasn’t always pleasant to the eye, but Fury’s fight strategy was picture perfect. Fury’s whole team deserves a lot of credit for how they have guided him to the world title, and how they stood up for him in the final run up to the fight. We had glove gate, when Klitschko tried to force Tyson to wear gloves that weren’t suitable for him, then we had foam gate, when the ring was found to have an extremely spongy canvas, due to 3 layers of foam, which was finally removed after protests from team Fury.  Finally, less than hours before the fight was due to start, we had the slightly more sinister hand wrap gate, when it was discovered that Klitschko’s hands had been wrapped without supervision from a member of the Fury team.  Again there were forceful protests, and Tyson’s Father, John Fury, threatened to pull his son out of the fight, until the wraps were removed, and replaced while under supervision. The job that Tyson’s team has done in making sure that he got a fair deal cannot be underestimated.

Fury remains a polarising figure. In the wake of his victory last night, there are many today with egg on their faces. The reaction of these people in the coming days will be to jump belatedly onto the Fury bandwagon, or else dismiss his victory yesterday with the kind of negative comments that have already started to appear in some areas of the social media.

The truth is, it is very hard to find negative outcomes emerging from Fury’s victory over Wladimir.  Whatever you may think of him as a person, there is no denying that he is a breath of fresh air at the top of the division that has become staid and predictable under the reign of Wlad, and his now retired brother Vitali. The division has been crying out for new blood, and a champion who has the personality to reach beyond the confines of the sport. In Tyson Fury, boxing finally has a personality that can invigorate the division, and inspire interest in the sport itself.  Tyson’s whole story is inspirational, from being born 2 months prematurely and weighing a mere one pound, to winning the Heavyweight championship of the world. 

Fury has won the world title at the perfect time, with possible fights looming with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and the possible comeback of  David Haye. The future of heavyweight boxing is suddenly looking far from boring, especially in England.  Firstly, Tyson is likely to make his first defence against the deposed Wladimir Klitschko, in what is likely to be the biggest heavyweight fight in many years.  The rematch is also likely to be more dramatic than the first fight, now that Klitschko knows that he can be out-boxed by Fury.  Klitschko will have to change his approach in any rematch or else he will be simply out-boxed again.

The new blood has already got the heavyweight division flowing again.    

The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Tyson Fury Fulfills Father's Prophecy And Dethrones Wladimir Klitschko

By Peter Silkov

Tonight Tyson Fury has done the impossible, he has slayed the seemingly invincible Dr Steelhammer, Wladimir Klitschko, to win the World heavyweight title in what is one of the biggest upsets seen in the division’s history.  Now that he is champion, we will see many people coming out of the woodwork saying that they always thought that Fury had the makings of a world champion in him and that he always had a good chance against Klitschko. The truth, however, is that few really gave Fury much hope of ending Klitschko’s 11 year unbeaten streak.  What is perhaps even more of a surprise is the manner of Tyson’s victory.  Most people who gave Tyson a chance of victory thought that such a chance would come through Tyson landing a knockout, as Klitschko’s biggest flaw has always seemed to be his durability. Instead, Fury did what many of supporters’ felt he would never be able to do; he out-boxed Dr Steelhammer.  If that wasn’t enough, Fury out-boxed Klitschko with ease, with a mixture of speed and confidence, which lived up to his boast earlier in the week that this would be one of the easiest victories of his career.

Fury bamboozled Klitschko from the opening round.  Boxing on the retreat, and waiting for Klitschko to come forward. He boxed the perfect fight for a counter puncher and by doing so, refused to fight the way that Klitschko wanted him to fight.  Unable to counter himself, Klitschko was reluctant to attack either, which resulted in much of the contest being a chess match, with both fighters feinting and spearing at each other with their jabs, but landing few punches of power or consequence. The solid shots that did land were coming form the challenger.  With speed that belies his stature, Tyson was beating Klitschko to the jab, and befuddling him by switching from orthodox to southpaw and back again.  Indeed, at times Fury’s confidence bordered on pure recklessness as he stood within range with his hands at his sides, and even put his hands behind his back on several occasions.  As the rounds passed, it became clear that Fury was in control of the fight, by the middle rounds both men were throwing punches with more intent, and Wladimir, after holding his right hand back for much of the early rounds, finally began to unleash it.  When he did this, Tyson came back with big punches of his own.  The pattern of the fight was of Tyson using the ring and peppering Wladimir with the jab.  What punches were being thrown by the defending champion were often smothered or blocked by Fury.

Tyson’s advantage in the fight was written on Wladimir’s face by the 6th round, in the cut and swollen cheek below his left eye, and the visible glimmer of frustration and even panic that showed on his face.

This was Wladimir Klitschko’s 28th world heavyweight title fight, but he had never experienced anything like this before, in any of his previous fights.

At times Fury seemed to be taunting the champion, and as the fight wore on into the later rounds, Klitschko began to look old, as he struggled to keep up with a faster, and even stronger man than himself.

The 9th round was a pivotal one, with Klitschko landing his best punches of the fight, yet Fury just stood his ground, and came back with heavy punches of his own.  Suddenly it was clear that Fury could take the best punches of Wladimir, and although it was one of the few rounds that Klitschko would clearly win, it seemed to only embolden Tyson Fury.

The challenger kept to a brilliant fight plan, to rely upon his jab, while utilizing his superior height, reach, and speed.  It was a magnificent performance of concentration and dedication by a man who in the past has been known for his often-erratic performances in the ring, but not this night.

In the 11th round, Tyson unleashed some of his heaviest punches, and seemed to visibly shake Klitschko, yet referee Tony Weeks chose this moment to break up the fighters and issue an outrageous point deduction for Tyson hitting Wladimir behind the head. Despite Wlad holding, ducking his head down, and doing some rabbit punching of his own throughout the fight, Mr Weeks did not warn Wlad as much as he did Tyson. Obviously, Mr Weeks had his reasons for doing what he did, but it seemed unfair in the extreme and even the pro-Klitschko German crowd booed his action.

Klitschko won the last round as he tried a desperate final rally, perhaps realizing that his title was slipping away.  Wladimir landed some solid punches as the final minutes of the contest ebbed away, but Fury once more stood his ground and fought back, although now visibly tiring.  The contest ended with some of the best exchanges of the fight, and while both men raised their arms in victory at the final bell, there seemed to be a hollowness in the eyes of Klitschko.  Even before the verdict had been announced he knew he had been beaten.

The verdict itself was a drama all its own.  Winning a fight and actually getting awarded the decision are often two separate things when a fighter is fighting away in Germany.  But tonight, after all the controversies over the type of gloves to be used, the overly padded ring, and then the champion having his hands wrapped unsupervised, the judges delivered a just and uncontroversial verdict.  Fury won by scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111.  The Boxing Glove scored the fight 116-111.

The announcement of victory gave rise to some of the most jubilant and emotional scenes witnessed in a boxing ring for sometime. In his post fight interview an emotional Tyson Fury showed just why he has the personality to liven up the heavyweight division now that he is World heavyweight champion.  

It wasn’t the greatest of heavyweight fights, but Klitschko’s style has never lended itself to excitement.  Yet, it was an enthralling tactical fight, a chess match with gloves, and in the end Dr Steelhammer, who has made a career out of clinically out-thinking and dissecting his opposition, especially over the past 11 and a half years, found himself out-thought, and out- maneuvered.

Photo: BBC Sports

Tyson Fury has been telling us for a long time that he would beat Wladimir Klitschko, that he would be too fast, and too clever.  Tonight he lived up to his word, and even the German crowd seemed to be won over by his performance.

Minutes after being declared the new Heavyweight champion of the world Tyson Fury sang a song to his wife from the middle of the crowded ring, as a bruised and beaten Wladimir Klitschko watched with a bemused expression upon his face.

This was Wladimir’s record-breaking 28th world heavyweight title fight, and it is unlikely that he will have fond memories of it.

Tonight Tyson lived up to the prophecy of his Father, John Fury, who predicted that his son would one day be the Heavyweight champion of the world. Tyson weighed only 1 pound after being born two months premature, and was still fighting for his life.  Tyson also fulfilled the sage-like prediction of Emanuel Steward, the man who resurrected Wladimir's boxing career, who predicted when Tyson was barely into his 20s, that he was a future superstar of boxing, and the next dominant World heavyweight champion. The heavyweight division suddenly became very interesting again.

Watch post fight interview and press conference:

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com