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

James Degale Retains IBF Title With a Hard Fought Win Over Bute

Photo: BBC Sports

By Peter Silkov

James Degale (22-1, 14koes) beat Lucian Bute (32-3, 25koes) last night at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, after a hard fought contest, which saw the British fighter stretched to his limits.  Bute had been considered by many to be a spent force since his destruction at the hands of Carl Froch a few years back, yet against Degale, he produced a performance that showed that he is far from washed up as a fighter.  After a slightly tentative start, it was Bute who forced the action for much of the contest, often driving Degale into the ropes and landing with both hands. Degale started brightly and aggressively. He and seemed to be looking for the early knockout that he had predicted. By the middle rounds, (Degale had predicted a 5th round knockout) it was Bute who was coming on strong, while Degale fell into his old habit of easing off the gas, and going on the back-foot.

The second half of the fight found Bute pressing and attacking, while Degale was looking to counter. While the quality of Degale’s boxing was world class at times, his lack of work rate and constant retreating often made him appear far too negative in comparison to Bute.  Cheered on throughout by a very vociferous Quebec crowd, it seemed in the later rounds that Bute had done enough to wrest the title from Degale.  In the end, however, Degale retained his title with scores of 116-112, 117-111, and 117-111.  If Bute had not done quite enough to regain the world title he had certainly done enough to make the fight very close, and the judges scoring certainly did not reflect the fight that this writer watched.  The Boxing Glove scored the fight 115-112 for Bute.

Degale now is looking towards a possible unification fight with WBC world super-middleweight champion Badou Jack.  There are also possible fights with Gennady Golovkin if he decides to move up and Andre Ward, should he finally decide that he is still a super-middleweight, rather than a light-heavyweight.  Add to this the rumours of a comeback by former champion Carl Froch, and Degale has some lucrative opportunities ahead of him.  Whether he would be able to emerge victorious against any of the aforementioned fighters, by boxing in the manner that he did against Bute last night,  is another thing entirely.

Watch the final post-fight press conference:


 Watch the fight:





Copyright © 2015 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

James Degale vs. Lucian Bute: Predictions & Preview

By IDran James

Another big fight happening Saturday night in Quebec City, Canada, at the Videotron Center will be James Degale (21-1, 14KOs) defending his IBF super-middleweight title for the first time against Lucian Bute (32-2, 25KOs.) Degale is a favourite going into this bout, with many wondering if Bute still has it in him after his devastating loss to Carl Froch. After the loss to Froch, injuries, and only 3 fights since 2012, the odds are not looking good for Bute.

It seems this fight is made for Degale, but if he is too aggressive in the beginning rounds and eases off in the latter, as was the case in his match with Andre Dirrell, this could give Bute an opportunity to take advantage. Bute might work out Degale’s awkward style by the later rounds, but more than likely the points will be in favour of Degale, by the time Bute figures Degale out.

As with many fighters who are at the end of their boxing career, one never knows how hungry and strong they can be when given the opportunity to regain glory. Bute has never lost in front of his home crowd and that is one advantage for him. If Bute can wear down Degale, who has shown a tendency to run out of steam in his fights, he could definitely give Degale problems.  Bute is a very good technical boxer, and if he can find some of his old form, then Degale will have his hands full.

An interested observer of the Degale vs. Bute match will be former world champion Carl Froch, who is now working as an analyst for Sky Sports.  In recent weeks there have been persistent rumours that Froch is considering a one-fight return to take on Degale, and win back his old IBF title, and then go back into retirement.  Froch will be interested to see how Degale handles the man that he destroyed in 5 rounds, in what was possibly the best performance of his career.  If Degale wins, but struggles against Bute, then the chances of a comeback by Froch for a showdown with Degale, will increase markedly.


On Friday,  James Degale weigh in at 167.4lbs and Lucian Bute weighed in at 167.2lbs.

The main event will be supported by a very full undercard at the  Videotron Center in Quebec City:

 Eleider Alvarez (18-0) vs. Isaac Chilemba (24-2-2) 10 rounds.
 WBC Silver light heavyweight championship.

Amir Imam (18-0) vs. Adrian Granados (16-4-2). 10 rounds, Heavyweight.
Oscar Rivas (17-0) vs. Joey Abell. 8 rounds, Light-Welterweight.
Yves Ulysse Jr (9-0) vs. Randy Lozano (10-7-2). 8 rounds, Heavyweight.
Bogdan Dinu (13-0) vs. Manuel Alberto Pucheta (38-10). 8 rounds, Light-Middlweight.
Sebastien Bouchard (10-1) vs. Giuseppe Lauri (55-17). 6 rounds, Light-Middleweight.
Custio Clayton (4-0) vs. Ivan Pereira (20-5). 6 rounds, Super-Bantamweight.
Vislan Dalkhaev (3-0) vs. Antonio Olugin (9-5-1). 4 rounds, Light-Middleweight.
David Maltias (1-0-1) vs. Lucnor Diseme (debut)

If you would like a full list of the many fights going on this weekend, visit Boxrec’s calendar with the  full listings. http://boxrec.com/calendar?v=d&d=2015-11-28

Watch the Degale/Bute weigh in: Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury: Weekend Prediction & Preview

By IDran James

Tomorrow night there will be a number of big fights taking place. The biggest of them all will be the World heavyweight title fight between Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 54 KOs) and Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) in Germany. At one point it looked as if the match was in jeopardy due to a dispute over gloves, but now everything seems to have been sorted out and agreed, and the fight will finally go ahead. Fury will be watched by a large contingent of British fans that have made their way over to Germany to support him, but has Tyson got a chance of springing an upset?

The champion is hugely experienced (he's had more world title fights than Fury has had fights) and very sound technically and physically. If Wladimir has a weakness, it is his chin, he has been stopped 3 times during his career, but has remained unbeaten in the last 11 years. When compared statistically, the only advantages that Tyson has got is his youth, and size. Yet, these could be two aspects that can give him a crucial edge and a little more of a chance. It is also interesting to note that some years ago Tyson was chosen as the possible successor to the Klitschko brothers by, none other than Emanuel Steward, the trainer who turned Wladimir into a near invincible fighting machine.

Realistically, no fighter is truly invincible, especially when they are on the cusp of 40 years of age. Perhaps Fury's biggest motivator is the fact that most people are giving him little chance of winning, that and Fury's own confidence in himself, which despite the pressure of the big fight, seems to have survived undimmed. If Fury can survive the early rounds when Wladimir looks certain to be looking for a knockout, then there is the interesting possibility that Fury may be able to get his jab going and begin utilizing his height and size advantage, which could make things very interesting. Fury is better than he is often given credit for, and if he can produce the fight of his life tomorrow night, then the world of boxing could be in for a surprise. Logic tells us that Fury will not win, and the champion is too experienced and too good, but boxing is not logical, and sometimes a person who is inspired can overcome all logical bounds. This is the beauty of boxing.

The undercard:

Robert Tlatlik    (17-0 ) vs. Said Rahimi (9-2). Light Welterweight. 10 rounds.
Hugie Fury (17-0) vs. Adnan Radovan (16-1). Heavyweight. 10 rounds.
Jono Carrol (8-0) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (13-0). Junior Lightweight. 8 rounds.
Samy Raid Musa (8-0) vs. Jay Spencer (10-0). Super Middleweight. 6 rounds.
Patrick Korte (2-0) vs. Moises Distino (2-0). Heavyweight. 4 round.


Wladimir Klitschko weighed in at 245.8 and Tyson Fury weighed in at 246.9:


Watch

If you would like a full list of the many fights going on this weekend, visit Boxrec’s calendar with the  full listings. http://boxrec.com/calendar?v=d&d=2015-11-28

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

Erislandy Lara Defends Title Against Jan Zaveck: Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN

By Peter Silkov

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 25, see’s Erislandy Lara (21-2-2) defending his WBA world light-middleweight championship against Jan Zaveck (35-3) at the Hialeah Park Race Track, in Hialeah, Florida.  The fight will be on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN. It will be Lara’s second defence of the title that he won on December 12, 2014, with a point’s victory over Ishe Smith.  It is ironic that Lara should be defending his title just days after Saul Alvarez beat Miguel Cotto for the WBC world Middleweight championship.  18 months ago, Lara lost a highly debatable split decision to Alvarez, after a 12 rounds non-title fight in which many believe Lara gave the Mexican a thorough boxing lesson.  However, as is the way with boxing, following a brief explosion of controversy and debate about the split decision victory for Alvarez, the storm soon died down, and has been more or less forgotten about, very conveniently for Alvarez.

Although he has since picked up his world title, Lara’s success has been bittersweet.  While Alvarez has gone on to have high profile, big money fights with James Kirkland and Miguel Cotto since his scare against Lara, Erislandy meanwhile has struggled to gain attention and big fights, despite being a ’World champion.’  The problem for Erislandy is that, like his countryman Guillermo Rigondeaux, he may be too good for his own good.  Lara is an intelligent and slick boxer, with the kind of ability that doesn’t just beat opponents, but makes them look bad.  If there’s one thing most boxers hate even more than losing, it’s looking bad, especially if they’re losing at the same time.

Lara’s only other defeat came against Paul Williams on July 9, 2011, and was another point’s loss that many disputed.  Lara’s nickname is ’The American Dream’ but like his fellow Cuban defector Rigondeaux, Lara has found success in America to be a bittersweet affair.  He has won a world title, but like Rigondeaux, is struggling to secure opponents to defend it against. 

Lara’s challenger on Wednesday is Jan Zaveck, a good solid boxer, who is the former IBF world welterweight champion.  At 39 years old, Zaveck is past his prime, and is not what could be described as an ’exciting’ challenger for Lara.  This should be a straightforward defence for Lara, providing he is not taking Zaveck too lightly.  Yet, Lara’s sights are already set higher, he has stated that he would like to move up to middleweight and fight the dynamite-punching World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.  There could even be a rematch with Alvarez, although that looks pretty remote.  Lara will be hoping to get past Zaveck with the minimum of fuss on Wednesday, with the hope that bigger challenges and bigger paydays are just round the corner for him.

Final press conference:




 Watch the fight:




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

Klitschko Vs. Fury: World Heavyweight Championship Boxing Preview

By IDran James

"Old guy, young guy, old champion, new champion - enough said." Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) set the mood in the final press conference on Tuesday for his showdown with Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 54 KOs) at Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf this Saturday, November 28. The undefeated Fury is visibly hungry for Klitschko's WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts and made it clear that he wants to end Klitschko's monopoly of the heavyweight division.

Fury taunted the quite silent and very serious Klitschko, but at the same time, he made it
clear that he was nervous, and the reality that he is actually about to face one of boxing‘s most outstanding champions, for what is still the biggest prize in sport, has fully dawned on Fury, since his arrival in Germany.

He told Sky Sports News:

"It all crashes down to me as soon as I land into the town and I see the big posters
everywhere and I actually feel like I'm involved in a fight now and I'm really nervous.
I never felt this way before - ever.

I feel really anxious and really nervous for this fight and all these people and cameras are
actually making me shy and I'm forgetting what to say.

I'm actually shaking right now and I hope this is giving Wlad some confidence - not really, there we have it."

Judging from the final presser, Tyson did not seem shy at all, and had plenty to say to
Klitschko, who ignored most of Tyson's juvenile-like behaviour. Fury is notorious for his brash comments to his opponents when sizing them up, he once said to Derek Chisora before a fight "Have you brushed your teeth this morning because your breath stinks... You're ugly and I'm not."

Such behaviour seems to be lost on the World heavyweight champion though, who has seen it all before from previous challengers. The statue-like Klitschko just stared ahead, while Fury sniffed him, and joked. Klitschko is all business and that is what this final presser was about, he is ready to take care of business. 

Tyson Fury has had many disappointments and setbacks caused by the politics of boxing. His scheduled fights with David Haye were cancelled, and re-scheduled several times, before finally being called off for good. Also, he had been plagued by injuries when he previously trained for fights. Originally, this fight was set for October 24, but leading up to the match, Fury was very vocal and some of his antics caused quite a stir. When Fury arrived at a press conference in late September dressed as Batman, even the normally unflappable Klitschko seemed visibly disturbed. Ironically, just days later, it was announced that the fight had been postponed due to Klitschko suffering a tendon injury in his left calf. Coincidence? Or evidence of mind games being played by the world champion in an effort to re-establish control over his challenger.  Fury had no doubt about the reasons behind the postponement, declaring that his performance in the Batman suit had scared Klitschko out of fighting.  For months he had predicted the fight would never happen and for a while, both the fans and Fury feared that the fight would be called off completely.  However, Fury is the official number one contender to Klitschko’s belts, and so the reality is that he either has to fight Fury or else be stripped of his world title. 

Sure enough, after a few weeks the fight was rescheduled for November 28. Perhaps one of the most important questions surrounding this fight is the impact of the delay upon the challenger, will it be positive or negative.

The waiting game has only improved Fury's fitness level, but has it helped his mental state? At times, it seemed he has been on the fringe of madness, voicing his opinions of religion, politics in boxing, and his future after this heavyweight championship match. He has in one interview talked about giving up boxing after this fight, win or lose, and going into politics, and then in another interview he has said he will continue fighting until he is too old to fight anymore, regardless of Saturday’s result.

Even at this point it is evident that Fury is in fear of this fight being called off again.  Cancelled fights are something that has dogged Fury’s career. Many of his opponents find themselves intimidated by Fury’s antics at press conferences.  Especially by his confidence in his own ability to beat them.

On Tuesday Fury said, "As we know, if I say a lot of stuff in the press conferences then we usually don't have any fights. So I'm going to wind it back in and just wait for the fight night.

"I didn't believe this fight was going to happen for a long, long time. And he's proved me wrong. This fight is actually going to happen."

The stoic Klitschko has many times appeared amused by Fury’s showmanship at press conferences, he has said that he believes Fury has psychological issues. The veteran boxer also knows that Fury is trying to unhinge him, but Klitschko has been here before. He has been spat upon, smacked by opponents, and subjected to lurid threats of decapitation yet, has still remained calm and focused upon his job, both in and out of the ring.  David Haye provoked Klitschko beyond all decency some years ago, but he kept his cool, and gave Haye an embarrassingly one-sided boxing lesson when they both got into the ring.  Compared to the antics of David Haye, Tyson Fury has behaved like a consummate professional and a gentleman.  The one thing that might shake the Champion the most about his challenger, as Saturday’s fight draws ever closer, is that for all his antics, Tyson Fury seems to genuinely believe that Tyson Fury can win.

At 6’ feet 9" inches, Fury will be, at least physically, the biggest challenge that Klitschko has faced for a long time. 

Klitschko told Sky Sports, “The world hasn’t seen what I am capable of doing, maybe I have not been challenged.”

Come Saturday night, Tyson Fury will be aiming to be that one challenger, too many, for the long reigning World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.  

Watch the final press conference before the fight: 

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