Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
“History always repeats itself.”
Everybody remembers the historic 1919 World Heavyweight Title fight in Toledo, Ohio where Jack Dempsey battered, bloodied and brutalized champ Jess Willard in one of the all time most savage, one-sided slugfests ever witnessed inside a boxing ring.
Like Willard, who was 37 when he was destroyed by Dempsey, Fury is in his mid 30s, declining and inactive. Though the rewards are enormous if Fury could beat the much smaller “middleweight” Oleksandr Usyk – undisputed world heavyweight champion honors and an eight-figure payday for his next defense – the risks are also huge.
The aging and undisciplined Fury is fat, heavy, plodding and would surely struggle with Usyk’s speed, quick feet, agility, reflexes, accuracy, creative combinations and viciousness inside the ring. Fury must be feeling and sensing his own flaws and physical struggles. And what he sees in the fearless Usyk is his worst nightmare.
So Fury faked his way out of the big fight with Usyk with lies and deceptions and is attempting to take a different path of far less resistance. But all of Fury’s plans of fighting unknown Australians, UFC novices, journeyman contenders have failed. And Fury is left to continue to search for a suitable (safe) opponent that boxing fans and the media will accept and buy.
At this point, Fury is failing miserably, and his promises of a “big announcement next week” never happen. The longer Fury continues his charades, he may be end up forcing himself to have to fight Usyk next – or retire. Because at this point, only imbeciles and fools would pay to see Fury box Derek Chisora or Andy Ruiz.
Everybody knows Fury is running from Usyk, running for his boxing life…
It’s a giant mess and shame on the world heavyweight title. If only Fury had the guts and courage of Jess Willard, even when he was being hunted by Jack Dempsey…
