Exactly this! They could have easily done a non PPV small event like Dubois v Joyce and bunged some opponent a few quid.
A typical Fury contradiction really... it’s not about the money but he wouldn’t fight Kabayel at the Albert Hall in December due to the purse size, whilst everyday actively flogging Gypsy King merchandise to death on Instagram.
Funny thing is Fury bangs on about fighter inactivity all the time. What makes him immune? He is a special fighter though but nobody is superhuman.
Seriously?! He hasn't deliberately got fatter as part of mind games - that's plain silly The video of him running into the sea has got plenty more jiggle than he had when fighting Wilder 2 Also it can't be denied that it is usually better for boxers to keep fighting - and to suggest this is in someway AJ/Hearns fault is delusion of Wilder-esque proportions Now - it may be that he couldn't be motivated to get in the ring for a smaller paycheck - or that he cannot be motivated to train properly without the need of a big fight These are his choices but not part of some elaborate 'masterplan' Similarly if he loses you cannot come back and say it's because of the layoff or him being fat He chooses to get in the ring or not and in whatever condition he can muster He has to face AJ in whatever state AJ is in - if AJ falls off the wagon that is his lookout AJ can only fight the version of Fury that shows up Let the best man win - and no excuses after
Not saying he got fat on purpose, I am saying he used the tools to hand. Would not be the first time he used his fatness to weaken opponents minds he revels inn the fact he is a big fat slob who can beat any man on the planet. How must he make AJ feel when he has a huge team of top sports scientists and trainers and trains religiously around the clock but he still cannot beat a big fat slob from Morecambe who does a 6 week camp for the biggest fight of his career (probably under pressure from his promoters), the first two weeks would have been basic fitness.
But....the big fat slob ?- AJ has already been laid out by the fattest smallest slob boxing at that level - and came back and beat him (when nobody gave him a prayer) I think he knows already that bodies dont make boxers - he certainly should by now I dont see AJ mentally crumbling tbh - I do see TF as being the weak one mentally - I think the press conferences will be hilarious The fight on the other hand could be a stinker....!
Based off what? His title defenses? (0) Or maybe his streak of beating top 30 heavyweights? (he's only fought 2 currently) Or maybe his clean bill of health? (google Fury and nandrolone) Fury is a fraud who get exposed within the next fight or two
He should've fought in December to be honest. I don't know why that fight fell through but since 2015 he's had around four years off. He was on a roll and should've stayed active and put in to practice all the stuff he is supposed to have been working on. If it was over money then he may live to regret that. There is not much in this fight, all this talk of an upset if Joshua wins is nonsense. Little things like this can make a difference in high level contests, especially when Joshua has recently fought and has stayed in camp. It's not an excuse, if he isn't ready come fight night that's on him but it can make a difference.
I know sparring isn't like a proper fight but his sparring partners will surely be under strict instruction to try and take his head off. You've gotta ask yourself, did that scrap with Wallin prepare him better for Wilder or hinder him...did he really need it? He suffered an horrific cut and the fight probably should have been stopped. He got a lot of stick for that performance. He needs dangerous fights, not warm up fights. @destruction made this point earlier and I agree. He is woeful to watch when the threat isn't there. He's at his best when the stakes are high and there's a real chance he could get bingo'd...Joshua definitely brings that.
Based on resume, belts won, ability, power, height, reach, movement, the list goes on. I do rate Ruiz though, 4th best heavy if he can get in proper fighting condition.
How do you rate Wallin then? Since he took Fury 12 rounds and almost won on cuts. And Fury's resime is absolute crap if you take away the boring Klitschko win and the Wilder TKO. He has only fought one guy inside the current top 15 of the WBC ratings for heavyweight
I think Fury's being smart and using the inactivity angle as a double edged sword. He's edging his bets. On the one hand Fury thinks he's got "something" of an excuse if he loses in that he's had 18 months out of the ring and that's the reason he lost. He'll say due to the inactivity his timing and reflexes was out, ring rust, not match fit, etc. Fury can then argue and make a case that he'll win the rematch if it happens because he definitely will be match fit for it. On the other hand if Fury wins, he'll use the inactivity reasoning to state how "great" a fighter he is in that he can beat Joshua at his best even after 18 months out of the ring. And subsequently if AJ wants the rematch after losing the first fight Fury will say he'll beat him even more convincingly because he will be "match fit" for the second bout and have AJ's number to boot having already beaten him - easy nights work Similar to how things worked out for Fury with the wilder fights really other than Fury didn't actually lose the first fight. Im gonna call it and say Fury beats AJ regardless of the inactivity as long as he's actually trained ok. I think AJ has some success early on and then gets taken into deep water from round 7 on and gases and panics from sustained pressure from Fury resulting in a TKO or corner stoppage. I don't think AJ is the fighter he was mentally...
I don't rate Wallin at all but he's fighting Dominic Breazeale this weekend so lets see how he gets on. Fury's resume is crap but he never had the backing of a big promoter until he signed with Frank for his comeback which means he was bringing no bread to the table for people to want to fight him, Mick and Peter bankrupted themselves trying to make the David Haye fight.
