By Ben Jacobs
Not many in the industry predicted that Tyson Fury would beat Wladimir Klitschko last month, but one man who did detailed to BoxingScene.com why he always knew Fury had the upper hand over his Ukrainian rival.
"I watched ringside Klitschko’s last fight and I said if he came in against Fury the way he did against Bryant Jennings he was going to lose, and Fury would beat him easily," heavyweight contender Amir Mansour explained.
“I just thought that performance against Jennings was bullsh*t. He wouldn’t beat Bryant again performing like that.
“Maybe he [Klitschko] has given us his best and he can’t get up for these fights anymore. It’s not easy doing what he has done even though he hasn’t defended his title against real tough opposition, he still defended his title. He still trained and worked hard to beat the guys he beat and that takes a lot of work and consistency. I didn’t see his intensity or sharpness against Jennings. Fury is young and hungry, not that good of a boxer but he’s tall like Klitschko and anybody with mediocre skills could have beaten him, and he beat him easily.”
Mansour also offered his take on the rematch which looks likely to happen at some point next year.
“I don’t think he [Fury] will knock him out in the rematch. I will say this, he’s going to come in with a lot more confidence and if Klitschko doesn’t step his game up then he could stop him.
“He’s no longer afraid of him, he’s relaxed now, he just beat him easily. So, in his mind he realises that he’s a better fighter than Klitschko, so he will go in there to try and finish him.
“Klitschko has to realise it’s do or die if he ever wants to be champion again. If he has one more great fight in him then he can pull it off because his skills are better than Fury’s.”