Tyson Fury was in full flow at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last Saturday night. From the nostalgia of the Apollo Creed ring walk, to the dazzling display of boxing skills, The Gypsy King did not disappoint.
In his first fight back since the controversial draw against Deontay Wilder, many speculated whether Fury could produce a statement. Known for is awkward herky-jerky style that usually results in convincing point’s decisions, many pundits assumed that Mancunian would stroll through to a tedious one-sided points victory. Guess who had other ideas.
How the fight unfolded…
The first round started in typical Fury fashion, using his jab and faints to confuse the oncoming Schwartz, convincingly winning the round. Once the fight resumed in the second round it was a different story; we saw a spectacular exhibition of transitioning defense into offence. He was cut-off against the ropes, which is normally a precarious situation for a fighter, but not for Fury, who exhibited incredible head and upper body movement to negate Schwarz’s punches. He then seamlessly swivelled his opponent to unleash an attack of his own. Not long after this moment of brilliance, The Gypsy King punished Schwarz with a textbook one-two straight down the middle, bringing the German down to one knee. There was nothing left for Schwarz, who was dispatched shortly after with a flurry of punches.
Is criticism warranted over opponent?
Although a destructive performance, there has been criticism over the level of opponent in Tom Schwarz. Eddie Hearn in a recent interview with Boxing Social is quoted stating, “I’m not sure he’d even win a British title”, and suggested humorously that he would get “Hung” if he put on a pay-per-view event with this level of opponent. Pundits exposed the relatively reliable Box Rec rankings, which have Schwarz at a ranking of 51st in the world and only 7th in Germany. This is poor considering that Fury is ranked 1st in the prestigious Ring magazine and regarded by many as the lineal heavyweight champion. Despite the criticism, Fury did what many people did not expect him to do. Eddie Hearn included, who on many occasions has described Fury as a boring fighter who labours to decision victories against average opposition. The opponent should have been higher caliber, but due to the way in which Schwarz was dispatched, the boxing world will forgive and forget.
What’s next for Fury?
The rematch with Deontay Wilder, it is as simple as that (Providing Wilder gets through Ortiz). Although this is inevitable, he will probably have a keep busy fight in October later this year. The viral clip of the Bronze Bomber pulverising Dominic Breazeale has interfused perfectly with the viral clip of The Gypsy King’s mesmerising defensive skills. The heroics displayed in the last fight, and the contrasting styles that both fighters offer, will have more of the general public intrigued for the second fight. It will probably be the biggest fight of 2020.
More people are talking about boxing following the jaw-dropping loss AJ suffered and the great performances from Fury and Wilder. The revival of the heavyweight division is appearing to be complete. Boxing is (almost) back where it should be.[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”27″ gal_title=”All images”]
