Tyson Fury is a proven world champion, but if he wants his record to stack up alongside the greats he has to make the big fights happen.
Muhammad Ali’s record includes wins over a raft of legendary opponents including Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle and Earnie Shavers.
Fury has fought only two opponents of real significance, Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. The Wilder trilogy was fantastic but not enough to secure a legacy that ranks alongside that other British great Lennox Lewis, for example. Take Wilder out of it and Fury’s record since deposing Klitschko seven years ago does not bear scrutiny.
Yes, he was almost three years out of the ring and entitled to warm-up bouts with Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta, but he was treading water against Tom Schwartz and Otto Wallin.
Fighting Derek Chisora is below the required standard. There is very little risk in this fight. Fury is just filling a date in the calendar.
He should be fighting the best, not going over old ground against an opponent he has already outclassed twice. Of course he blames Anthony Joshua for the failure of negotiations over their proposed December date.
Negotiations have fallen down numerous times with Joshua. The truth is Fury has the power to put that right if he wants it badly enough.
Playing the power game is not serving him well. Any hurdle can be overcome no matter how awkward if the desire is there to make it happen.
Perhaps fate will bring them together at a more favourable moment. Right now Joshua is without a belt. There is sufficient interest for Fury/Joshua to break records but it needs the sanction of unification to elevate the status of the contest.
That might come should triple belt holder Oleksandr Usyk relinquish the IBF belt in order to take on Fury early next year rather than defend against mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic. This in turn might provide Joshua with an avenue back to a belt by facing Hrgovic for the vacant IBF crown.
Should they meet sometime next year there is no guarantee Fury beats Joshua on the grounds the latter has been beaten three times. Joshua still has destructive power and if he connects Fury will be in trouble.
Fury’s path to a higher elevation in the pantheon is clear. There has to be jeopardy in the contest. This means sharing a ring with the Usyks and Joshuas of this parish not the Chisoras.
- Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @McGuigans_Gym
