Tyson Fury v John McDermott II
The flab will fly tonight as chubsters Tyson Fury and John McDermott meet each other in Brentwood for the vacant English title in a rematch of their controversial bout that took place last September.
Last time out the general consensus was that “Big Bad John” took the 10- rounder, but referee Terry O’Connor amazingly scored it a decisive 98-92 in favour of Fury. As a result the BBBofC offered an immediate rematch and changed the rules so that English title fights will be over 12 rounds and scored by three judges. The BBBofC really threw their support behind the official there.
The Cheshire-born heavyweight can count his lucky stars that his unbeaten record remains intact. He has been hyped up by the media, probably due to his marketable name because he certainly hasn’t shown elite-level potential. In fact currently his biggest claim to fame is a YouTube video in which he goes to strike an opponent but ends up uppercutting his own face instead.
Roly-poly McDermott has suffered injustice against both Fury and Danny Williams and must be wondering if he will ever catch a break. As always he’s a few stone the wrong side of blubbery but stresses he does do the gym work. Probably not too much road work though. Big Bad John can get decent power but it’s far from sensational, he has been known to put in a gutsy performance every now and then but his chin has been found lacking in past.
Fury’s main problem is an onscene delusion of grandeur. At 22-years old he has got a long way to go but he walks around like he is names-sake, Mike Tyson, already. However where McDermott’s career has reached a plateau, Fury has potential to improve if he puts in the work. Worryingly for such a beast of a man he doesn’t produce huge power in his shots despite some good combinations and although he has a long reach, maybe even the longest in boxing at the moment, his jab is erratic and he doesn’t maximise it as the dangerous weapon it could be.
Another criticism you could level at Fury is that he often doesn’t look toned and you have to wonder about his discipline away from the ring. He’s weighed in for this fight at a career heaviest 19st 4lb and coupled with unrest in his training camp with him splitting with trainer Brian Hughes a week before the fight, you have to ask if Fury is in the right condition to win this?
Fury says he will hang up his gloves if he loses tonight as he considers McDermott a lower level and he doesn’t want a journeyman career. He has shown nothing to prove himself yet and he is being a bit harsh on Big Bad John, who has frequently proved himself to be a very good domestic fighter.
If Fury were to win this fight he would face British champion Derek Chisora in a match-up that UK fight fans would love to see, mainly because they are both so unpopular. These are two mouthy young fighters who have acted like they are world-title contenders without doing the hard yards first. In fairness to Chisora in the last year he’s got his head down, stopped saying stupid things, upped the calibre of his competition and got on with business. If he continues down that road he will be ok and Fury could learn a thing or two from that.
Tonight McDermott needs to give as much as he did in the last fight to stand any chance of winning. This time round he has three judges and home town advantage so there are no worries about another suspect decision. He hasn’t fought since their last encounter where Fury has had two victories over Tomas Mrazek and Hans-Joerg Blasko so Big Bad John will be going in the fresher fighter.
The first instalment of this clash was an exciting back-and-forth affair and hopefully this will be the same and not descend into some sort of slugfest. There will be genuine animosity between the two and it could be the last we see of one of them. There’s no doubt that McDermott would be fired up and he won’t want to miss out on a British title shot again, but at the same time Fury should be aware that if he wants to fight the David Hayes and Wladimir Klitschkos of this world then he needs to step-up and not be nonchalant about things inside the ring.
Fury’s superior reach should see him through but McDermott will try and get in on the inside and if Fury doesn’t put in a shift he will be in big trouble.
If he doesn’t produce the goods and is a man of his word then this will be the end of the road for Fury. At least he will always be remembered for one incredible punch.
Shame he landed it on himself.
Prediction: Fury by majority decision
This is going to be another close one. McDermott is going to be so fired up for this that Fury is going to have to be on top of his game and given his past history that might not be likely.
This fight will all be about who takes up the centre of the ring and controls proceedings. Either of them could do it but you have to give Fury the edge if he gets his jab going and starts bulling McDermott.
Fury’s long jab will be key to this fight and he needs to keep McDermott out of reach, but he will also need to execute better control. The marginally quicker Big Bad John will probably nip inside and let rip with some decent shots that could trouble Fury and so he needs to counter by landing combinations and finding some power.
McDermott tends to fade late in fights and with this going 12 rounds Fury should be able to hold up to the pace and distance much easier.
Big Bad John has the home town advantage but it’s hard to see him improving on his last performance, where as Fury probably will. However if he doesn’t then there is no question that McDermott will catch him out and this could well be the last we see of Mr Fury. You have to favour the younger man though, shading a slightly more clear-cut win, but it’s going to be a tough night’s work.
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