Cheers for your concern on my logic and your aggressive tone. Everything okay at home mate ? Let me guess your one of those “hardcore” fans of boxing that think anyone slightly associated with match room is an overrated tool and someone like AJ who is now a household name and appeals to the casual fan is obviously overrated too. Anyway I’m sure you will reject this but here is my logic. AJ in the last year has unified titles against Parker (let’s not forget that according to the hardcores AJ and Hearn had made a mistake taking that fight and Parker was gonna expose AJ) then decisively knocked out Povetkin who has one of the best resumes in the division at the time (a lot better than wilders actually). You say Joshua is ducking Wilder what proof do you have ? How do you know wilders isn’t ducking AJ (for the record we don’t know who is ducking who here, I have my own beliefs). I greatly admire Fury and look forward to seeing him in 2019 but beating a cruiser weight, a past he’s best journeyman heavyweight and then beating (yes I do believe he beat him) an athletic immensely powerful but limited world champion in wilder isn’t British fighter of the year credentials in 2018. Interestingly I have to ask why do you think AJ is ducking wilder, like what actually makes you believe it to be true ? I mean I think wilders team on lyntook fury because they thought he was finished.
In most other years AJ would walk it, unifying at HW and coming from behind against a very classy opponent in Povetkin, but maybe we're spoilt by his previous achievements, I've seen several posters not even mention him as being in the running, which given the history of UK boxing is surprising. We will miss him when he's gone. Fury's is a great comeback story and he was tremendous on that night in LA but I don't think one performance is sufficient in a year when so many boxers have strung several together. Callum Smith is that rare thing, a UK boxer clearly heading a division and he also would get it in other years. Maybe he was unlucky the way the tournament worked out as he didn't really get a chance to shine against his substitute opponent and the Groves performance alone isn't sufficient in my view to elevate him above... Can't look beyond Warrington though who has emerged as the genuine article. A great lad, a great story with his dad contributing some very astute tactics and two stellar performances as the underdog. He's the British FOTY.
This content is protected I think Parker's level has been exposed. He is a good boxer but lacking that killer instinct and desire that sets apart the top heavyweights. Povetkin came in almost having got chinned off Price and way past his best but it was a great finish from AJ. I said his management are ducking him. I think AJ wants to fight him but they are being kept apart for either financial or sporting reasons. He was supposed to have 5 comeback fights as he had been out of the ring for almost 5 years but instead he takes Wilder as his third when the AJ negotiations broke down. To put it simply he stepped up to the plate. Even Frank Warren didn't want to make the fight but Fury insisted. AJ fights on home soil with everything in his favour whereas Fury went to America, trained in America and won in America against all odds. (yes he was also the underdog). Did you not see the 12th round? I dont see any other British boxer this year who has succeeded in the face of such adversity like Tyson did. The last time maybe was AJ v Klitschko.
I see Fury’s being recognised by the ring magazine by being nominated for best comeback, round of the year, event of the year, most inspirational and fighter of the year. So he is getting the credit he deserves from respective people in thd industry. Unfortunately, we can only go by the judges scorecards and because of that, we can’t really put Fury down for BFOY. Behind the scenes boxing politics and the corruption that comes with it, deny us of rightful winners regularly. GGG has a draw and a loss on his record when arguably he should have had 2 wins. Money talks though, and Canelo makes the people around him huge money. In regards to Wilder, it was important that the belt stayed in the US cos the money that can now be spun off the back of it is astronomical. Money talks.
True mate - big John McDonut would fully agree when he was the victim of the worst card ever - Spud O'Connor's card in his first fight versus .... err Tyson Fury. Hopefully over one's career these cards even out but that card ruined the career of Big John. He never ever recovered his desire for the sport after that scandalous card. The life was sucked right out of the man and we know even hard faced promoter Frank Maloney was never the same after that card losing his meat and 2 veg later in life.
.....and Warrington and Whyte only nominated in one category each (upset of the year and KO of the year). This to me and any other rational thinking human strongly suggests that Fury's achievements this year are of a far greater magnitude than any other British fighter.