Hello boxing fans and dedicated haters. Here’s another week in my bulging bag, bloated with the bitter, filthy truth, in front of you. Interesting. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, busy fights and the state of the “big” fights.
Fury, Joshua and the “Stay Busy” fight
Hey Paul,
I like you taking on all things boxing. What do you think of elite level “always busy” battles? I was really disappointed to see the Fury-Joshua match fail; again. With that said, I also felt the match was unmotivated as Joshua lost two convincing fights to Usyk. So I guess I have two questions:
1. How important are “busy” fights when you’re up against elite or mature fighters who are about to lose? Does it mean that an adjustment or confidence fight for Anthony Joshua against someone like Zhang Zhilei really encapsulates them into something else? I feel like you can mix Joshua with as many tweaks as you want, but in reality you’re just extending his shelf life for maximum pay days.
2. How important are “busy” fights when you’re up against elite or post-winning fighters? The perfect example is Fury fighting Chisora. Obviously he wants to stay active. Obviously he doesn’t want to enter a risky fight that would cost him the title. Personally, I don’t mind him fighting someone B-Class to stay active. But not more than once. Would he be better off sitting out? Should he fight someone more competitive? Is Chisora ”good enough” to keep him warm while still competing? In my opinion, Chisora is a unique thing. It would be more appropriate if he just had a rematch with Whyte, maybe against Otto Wallin or sidelined. Can you hate the guy who doesn’t want to jeopardize a super fight?
– Greg
Hi Greg. Thanks for writing. Let me get at these.
1. It all depends on the fighter and the circumstances. If the fighter’s problem is purely mental, then a few good wins will certainly help a lot in getting the fighter back into gear and regaining focus. They can also be used to fine tune any technical flaws that the fighter has, assuming of course that it is ready to be tweaked. In the particular case of Anthony Joshua, I have to believe that “busy” fights will only help prolong his shelf life and long-term earning potential. His particular problems are a combination of mental, technical and tactical. With the person he is and the respect for him, it’s hard to imagine him digging deep, from the ground floor up, to correct his flaws or indeed, even to have a point of view. acknowledge them. Winning the vacant championship belt and/or beating a second-place competitor would only serve the business needs of the sub-industry built around AJ. The fight against Fury, right now, is inconclusive for him and everyone– Fury’s side as well as Joshua’s side– knows that. Hearn would be a fool to throw AJ in the ring against Fury in December. Praise Hearn for being able to crept back from the challenge without his guy getting too much criticism from the public.
2. For a boxer in peak form, riding on a wave of momentum, “busy” fights are often just pocket games. And, really, who can blame a top name for pouring as much money into his or her egg fund as possible in a sport where your career could be over in an instant. However, in Fury’s case, there may be more padding than usual for boxers. Fury’s reported relationship with Irish gang leader Daniel Kinahan could keep Fury from fighting in the United States for the foreseeable future and could even affect his ability to continue his career. There is a certain urgency with Team Fury cashing in in recent months and the decision to focus on friendlies against the UK. As I mentioned in the Notes from the Underground Boxing column last Monday, I didn’t have much of a problem with the Chisora fight. Honestly, Chisora is probably a better, more deserving opponent than Manuel Charr or the many other opponents Fury could have taken down. The problem is that Chisora, as Fury’s nemesis twice defeated, adds unnecessary skepticism to a fight that should have shone like a glorious homecoming. From a competition/sports standpoint, I would never suggest that an elite level boxer, at his peak, sit out for any significant amount of time. It’s just, yes, Team Fury could have done a better job of picking opponents and Fury himself could have done a lot better at trying to justify this fight. No, champ, this match is NOT historic…it’s a money game…but you can get through that.
The “terrible” battles
What’s the matter, Paul? I read late this week, so I hope it gets included, since I never wrote anyway. I usually ride with your rebellious boxing mind, but as you will say, this is no longer a sport for the casual fan. So the big fights we have this year are not really appreciated as they should be or “promoted”. I came up with 8 matches just by typing this in. Let me know if I missed a match because I’m sometimes called a boxing junkie: Charlo vs. Castano, Spence vs. Ugas, Fulton vs. Figueroa, Inoue vs. Donaire, Shields vs. Marshall, Beterbiev vs. Smith , and Haney vs Kambosos 1. Not saying they’re all competitive in the ring, but they’re great matches in theory and have more hype than they should have gotten. Think ??? Keep up the great work!!!
– Flintown to Az
Have a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best are included in the weekly mailing bag segment right here at FightHype. Submit your content here: [email protected].
