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Rare is the occasion where heavyweights are passionately mentioned in any given pound-for-pound debate.
That suits Tyson Fury just fine, as the discussion never comes up in his circles. Nor will he give the mythical topic a single thought regardless of how things play out in his upcoming heavyweight title fight rematch with fellow unbeaten heavyweight Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41KOs).
“I’m not sure about all that pound-for-pound stuff. I don’t really know how that stuff works,” Fury (29-0-1, 20KOs) admitted during a recent media conference call to discuss their February 22 Pay-Per-View headliner at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Pound-for-pound stuff, I’ve never been able to follow it because it’s like, if an eagle had feet it would be able to run faster than an ostrich. If a man could fly, could he fly faster than an airplane?”
The subject was raised of whether of the aforementioned Pay-Per-View headliner—which will be carried in a joint venture between ESPN+ and Fox Sports—will offer the case for the winner to be considered among the very best boxers in the world today, regardless of weight class. As the two top rated boxers in the sport’s most storied division, the winner will be crowned as the lineal heavyweight king, a distinction whose past claimants have historically ranked among the sport’s elite.
Of course, even getting to that point has proven problematic. Wilder and Fury fought to a draw in their iconic first meeting in December 2018, with Fury twice rising from the canvas to finish the fight on his feet and of tbe belief that he won a decision. The second knockdown proved the difference on the scorecards, with the two finally ready to settle their differences in the ring nearly 15 months later.
The feat left both boxers unbeaten, with Fury having since extended his run to 4-0-1 since returning in June 2018. He had been out of the ring since his career-best World heavyweight championship winning effort over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, which at the time left him as the absolute best big man on the planet.
More than 30 months away from the game has since challenged that status, which wasn’t at all resolved in their previous stalemate. A win is the main goal on fight night, with both intent on not leaving any doubt this time around.
With a conclusive ending, should come a clear picture of who rules the heavyweight roost whereas how they would fare in a hypothetical fight is a debate which honestly never gets resolved.
“It’s just people randomly making up stuff,” Fury claims. “I’m not sure how that stuff works.
“What I do know, when I beat Deontay Wilder, I will be the best heavyweight of my area, standing alone.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox