Tyson Fury has come back down from Big Bear. He was training at high altitude, but is now settled at Freddie Roachs gym in Los Angeles. They certainly came down sooner from Big Bear than they intended, but thats purely because of the altitude.
Ben Davison knows best, and coming back down to train at sea level is a huge boost after being up so high. Tyson is pleased with the work done up there. Hes looking good, hes been sparring well. Hes in a brilliant frame of mind and he seems very happy.
The fight is a month away so its a good time to start the final stretch of preparation, hes bang on at the moment. Lawrence Okolie is with team Tyson at the moment, and hes getting excellent reviews from the boys. Hes given Tyson some really good sparring.
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Okolie has those long arms and the punches that can come from nowhere. Tyson feels hes the closest thing he could get to the unorthodox style of Wilder.
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Were working with everyone to finalise the undercard for December 1 and what the boxing fans can look forward to are some great names from the UK on what should be a memorable night in Los Angeles.
Tyson has done a lot of media and Im pleased to see him open up and be so genuine. Were seeing the real Tyson Fury now. When Tyson speaks now, its from the heart and were seeing a really genuine side. Ive listened to him speak about how training has helped him come out of the dark place he was in before.
Hes even said he may have to continue training forever, but to be honest that can be almost worrying to hear. Boxing can be like a dependency, the same way drugs or alcohol can be. Tyson enjoys boxing, and I hope he knows there are other roles in boxing when his fighting career ends.
There are so many fighters who find it difficult to adjust in retirement, but Tyson has got a brilliant boxing brain and knowledge, hes like a historian of boxing. At the end of the career, I hope hell find a role in the sport.
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Hes articulate and he reads fights well. Its great hes got his enthusiasm and flavour for boxing back, but I dont want him to become a boxing junkie. This fight with Wilder is going to be incredible and one that everyone is looking forward to.
Theyre talking about Anthony Joshua rematching Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April. Really? Im not sure about that. Two of the top three heavyweights are fighting on December 1, the other has booked a slot at Wembley next year and hes talking about fighting Whyte.
The objective should be for all three to be fighting each other as soon as possible, and anything else is stopping the fans seeing some truly memorable fight nights.
Fury could go toe-to-toe with Wilder
Everyone thinks Wilder is a one-trick pony, but Tyson cant underestimate him. Wilder is a much better fighter than people give him credit for. It seems like hes got a good chin, he showed that in the Luis Ortiz fight. Ive watched lots of his fights very closely. Hes awkward yes, but one thing hes got is speed. Tysons got speed too.
I just feel Tyson might take the fight to him. Everyones got in their mind how this fight will be, Wilders going to come looking for the big punches and Tysons going to be on the back foot and try to outbox him.
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But, I feel it could turn into a fight from the beginning. Somebody is going to try and stamp their authority on the fight and Tyson can have a fight with anyone. He can stand his ground, hes got a good chin himself and lets not forget hes 6 ft 9 and unlike anything Wilder has ever come up against!
You would think the sensible thing is for Tyson is to go out there, work behind the jab and take Wilder into the latter rounds. But we never know with Tyson, hes so unpredictable and thats why hes dangerous.
Look at what he did to Dereck Chisora. He did a complete job on Chisora and fought southpaw for a lot of that fight. Eddie Hearn says Tyson is the most boring fighter to watch, but hes promoting Whyte against Chisora.
Look at what Tyson did to Chisora. He never lost a second of any round. Dereck was coming in off of five good wins and Tyson took him to school. Broke him up, took him apart and Chisora had to pull out eventually. And that was in 2014, Chisora was at the peak of his powers then.
Box office wars
Speaking of Whyte and Chisora, I was incredibly disappointed to see Matchroom announce their rematch on the same night as Josh Warrington vs Carl Frampton on Box Office. Its ridiculous, it really is.
Its disrespectful to the fans. Manchester City and Manchester United dont play at the same time in the Premier League, do they? Its a stupid situation and I cant see who wins out of this. You just split an audience, and the boxers will lose out on pay-per-view buys. Thats a major loss for all four boxers involved.
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What we have in Warrington v Frampton is a clash between two of the very best in the world at their weight class and that is really becoming our mantra with PPV on BT Sport Box-Office. What were not about is putting second tier, inconsequential fights on PPV for the sake of it. It is disrespectful to Josh and Carl and, to a certain extent, Whyte and Chisora, who are being used.
While Whyte-Chisora is a decent fight, Sky customers need to ask what they are getting for their subscriptions if this event is deemed to be PPV. It wasnt so long ago that Hearn pledged to have a world title fight on regular Sky pretty much every week, but I believe the last male to fight for a world title on a UK show was over a year ago.
Since we announced our deal with BT we have put on 12 world title fights, with half a dozen interims, with big stadium shows including Fury, Frampton and Warrington. All on linear subscription TV.
Bellew needs to upset the odds again
One man who has certainly proven himself is Tony Bellew. Hes done so well for himself. The first fight he had with David Haye was another underdog story. He was a big underdog for me going into that one and hes an even bigger one for this one.
Oleksandr Usyk is a real quality operator. Usyk wants to go up to heavyweight, no doubt about that. Well see what he looks like against Bellew, but hed be a great addition to the heavyweight scene. Tyson and Usyk would be fascinating down the road. The bookies rightly make Usyk the heavy favourite in what should be a well watched fight this weekend, but Bellew has pulled out punches before and won against the odds.
Mayweathers short-lived return
Floyd Mayweathers comeback was so off the wall, I still dont understand it. I dont think anyone should buy the illusion Mayweather was blindsided. My guess is that he may have had a change of heart – but one thing you have to admire about Mayweather is that he is the greatest self-promoter in sport and knows how to make money.
Perhaps this is all a game for something bigger down the road. The whole thing was bizarre, and as a big fan of Mayweather Ive no real interest in seeing him in a kickboxing match… although Im sure people would buy it! Its such an odd situation to be in, even for him. At a press conference announcing a fight in Japan with a kickboxer? Thats strange even by his standards.
More: Boxing
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Tyson Fury has come back down from Big Bear. He was training at high altitude, but is now settled at Freddie Roachs gym in Los Angeles. They certainly came down sooner from Big Bear than they intended, but thats purely because of the altitude.
Ben Davison knows best, and coming back down to train at sea level is a huge boost after being up so high. Tyson is pleased with the work done up there. Hes looking good, hes been sparring well. Hes in a brilliant frame of mind and he seems very happy.
The fight is a month away so its a good time to start the final stretch of preparation, hes bang on at the moment. Lawrence Okolie is with team Tyson at the moment, and hes getting excellent reviews from the boys. Hes given Tyson some really good sparring.
Advertisement Advertisement
Okolie has those long arms and the punches that can come from nowhere. Tyson feels hes the closest thing he could get to the unorthodox style of Wilder.
More: Boxing
Were working with everyone to finalise the undercard for December 1 and what the boxing fans can look forward to are some great names from the UK on what should be a memorable night in Los Angeles.
Tyson has done a lot of media and Im pleased to see him open up and be so genuine. Were seeing the real Tyson Fury now. When Tyson speaks now, its from the heart and were seeing a really genuine side. Ive listened to him speak about how training has helped him come out of the dark place he was in before.
Hes even said he may have to continue training forever, but to be honest that can be almost worrying to hear. Boxing can be like a dependency, the same way drugs or alcohol can be. Tyson enjoys boxing, and I hope he knows there are other roles in boxing when his fighting career ends.
There are so many fighters who find it difficult to adjust in retirement, but Tyson has got a brilliant boxing brain and knowledge, hes like a historian of boxing. At the end of the career, I hope hell find a role in the sport.
Advertisement Advertisement
Hes articulate and he reads fights well. Its great hes got his enthusiasm and flavour for boxing back, but I dont want him to become a boxing junkie. This fight with Wilder is going to be incredible and one that everyone is looking forward to.
Theyre talking about Anthony Joshua rematching Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April. Really? Im not sure about that. Two of the top three heavyweights are fighting on December 1, the other has booked a slot at Wembley next year and hes talking about fighting Whyte.
The objective should be for all three to be fighting each other as soon as possible, and anything else is stopping the fans seeing some truly memorable fight nights.
Fury could go toe-to-toe with Wilder
Everyone thinks Wilder is a one-trick pony, but Tyson cant underestimate him. Wilder is a much better fighter than people give him credit for. It seems like hes got a good chin, he showed that in the Luis Ortiz fight. Ive watched lots of his fights very closely. Hes awkward yes, but one thing hes got is speed. Tysons got speed too.
I just feel Tyson might take the fight to him. Everyones got in their mind how this fight will be, Wilders going to come looking for the big punches and Tysons going to be on the back foot and try to outbox him.
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But, I feel it could turn into a fight from the beginning. Somebody is going to try and stamp their authority on the fight and Tyson can have a fight with anyone. He can stand his ground, hes got a good chin himself and lets not forget hes 6 ft 9 and unlike anything Wilder has ever come up against!
You would think the sensible thing is for Tyson is to go out there, work behind the jab and take Wilder into the latter rounds. But we never know with Tyson, hes so unpredictable and thats why hes dangerous.
Look at what he did to Dereck Chisora. He did a complete job on Chisora and fought southpaw for a lot of that fight. Eddie Hearn says Tyson is the most boring fighter to watch, but hes promoting Whyte against Chisora.
Look at what Tyson did to Chisora. He never lost a second of any round. Dereck was coming in off of five good wins and Tyson took him to school. Broke him up, took him apart and Chisora had to pull out eventually. And that was in 2014, Chisora was at the peak of his powers then.
Box office wars
Speaking of Whyte and Chisora, I was incredibly disappointed to see Matchroom announce their rematch on the same night as Josh Warrington vs Carl Frampton on Box Office. Its ridiculous, it really is.
Its disrespectful to the fans. Manchester City and Manchester United dont play at the same time in the Premier League, do they? Its a stupid situation and I cant see who wins out of this. You just split an audience, and the boxers will lose out on pay-per-view buys. Thats a major loss for all four boxers involved.
Advertisement
What we have in Warrington v Frampton is a clash between two of the very best in the world at their weight class and that is really becoming our mantra with PPV on BT Sport Box-Office. What were not about is putting second tier, inconsequential fights on PPV for the sake of it. It is disrespectful to Josh and Carl and, to a certain extent, Whyte and Chisora, who are being used.
While Whyte-Chisora is a decent fight, Sky customers need to ask what they are getting for their subscriptions if this event is deemed to be PPV. It wasnt so long ago that Hearn pledged to have a world title fight on regular Sky pretty much every week, but I believe the last male to fight for a world title on a UK show was over a year ago.
Since we announced our deal with BT we have put on 12 world title fights, with half a dozen interims, with big stadium shows including Fury, Frampton and Warrington. All on linear subscription TV.
Bellew needs to upset the odds again
One man who has certainly proven himself is Tony Bellew. Hes done so well for himself. The first fight he had with David Haye was another underdog story. He was a big underdog for me going into that one and hes an even bigger one for this one.
Oleksandr Usyk is a real quality operator. Usyk wants to go up to heavyweight, no doubt about that. Well see what he looks like against Bellew, but hed be a great addition to the heavyweight scene. Tyson and Usyk would be fascinating down the road. The bookies rightly make Usyk the heavy favourite in what should be a well watched fight this weekend, but Bellew has pulled out punches before and won against the odds.
Mayweathers short-lived return
Floyd Mayweathers comeback was so off the wall, I still dont understand it. I dont think anyone should buy the illusion Mayweather was blindsided. My guess is that he may have had a change of heart – but one thing you have to admire about Mayweather is that he is the greatest self-promoter in sport and knows how to make money.
Perhaps this is all a game for something bigger down the road. The whole thing was bizarre, and as a big fan of Mayweather Ive no real interest in seeing him in a kickboxing match… although Im sure people would buy it! Its such an odd situation to be in, even for him. At a press conference announcing a fight in Japan with a kickboxer? Thats strange even by his standards.
More: Boxing
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