Comments Thread For: Fighting Words: The Heavyweight Division's Overlapping Games of Thrones

[BoxingUpdates]

The three big names that long ruled at heavyweight - Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder - aren't all ruling it anymore. Fury is the last big man standing, and even his footing has seemed less steady of late
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[ultravividscene]

Fury came in heavy against Ngannou, was dropped by a good counter in the third round, and didn’t seem to have enough stamina to take command or to endure an extended firefight.

Enough with the lame excuses. It was the same weight he came in for his 3rd fight against Wilder, an extended firefight that went 11 without sign of Fury lagging. Only against Ngannou he was facing the heaviest opponent he had ever fought, who almost equalled his own weight with said weight fashioned out of solid, competition-honed muscle. Fury showed up as he always does. Maybe he took Ngannou too lightly initially but we all know that all else being equal it's styles that make fights not the difference of fractions of a pound when you're carrying 250+ of them. Fury's weight, power and size advantages simply weren't enough to keep Ngannou at bay or give him the edge they have so often with the majority of his other opponents.

[VashDBasher]

Enough with the lame excuses. It was the same weight he came in for his 3rd fight against Wilder, an extended firefight that went 11 without sign of Fury lagging. Only against Ngannou he was facing the heaviest opponent he had ever fought, who almost equalled his own weight with said weight fashioned out of solid, competition-honed muscle. Fury showed up as he always does. Maybe he took Ngannou too lightly initially but we all know that all else being equal it's styles that make fights not the difference of fractions of a pound when you're carrying 250+ of them. Fury's weight, power and size advantages simply weren't enough to keep Ngannou at bay or give him the edge they have so often with the majority of his other opponents.

Very well said. Fury’s size advantage is what makes him hard to beat against other boxers. He met his match in size and it didn’t help that Ngannou is proficient with upper body grappling and is even stronger than Fury. If Usyk manages to pull off the win, it’ll be even more impressive than Crawford’s demolition of Spence.

[Mr. David]

Enough with the lame excuses. It was the same weight he came in for his 3rd fight against Wilder, an extended firefight that went 11 without sign of Fury lagging. Only against Ngannou he was facing the heaviest opponent he had ever fought, who almost equalled his own weight with said weight fashioned out of solid, competition-honed muscle. Fury showed up as he always does. Maybe he took Ngannou too lightly initially but we all know that all else being equal it's styles that make fights not the difference of fractions of a pound when you're carrying 250+ of them. Fury's weight, power and size advantages simply weren't enough to keep Ngannou at bay or give him the edge they have so often with the majority of his other opponents.

Thanks for your comment! Not all numbers are made equal. There was a visual difference, both aesthetically and in action, over the 277-pound Fury who fought Wilder a third time and the 277-pound Fury who showed up against Ngannou. Your points about Ngannou being the heaviest opponent Tyson had fought yet, and solid muscle, and — as VashDBasher — proficient with grappling on the inside — are well-taken. It's true that those, and Fury admittedly being surprised that Ngannou was more skillful than he expected, could have also informed his approach.

However, I still feel that Fury didn't take this fight as seriously as he took the final Wilder fight, given his expectations of what Ngannou would bring. With the fight clearly close and when Fury needed to pull away from Ngannou in order to avoid the upset, he didn't have the reserves he needed in order to do so.

I do appreciate your comments, which were well-informed and well-argued, and your feedback on the article, which I hope you otherwise enjoyed.
-David

[Boro]

Zhang won silver in Beijing not London, CAMMARELLE was the one who got robbed against AJ as did Savon in the round of 16...

Seems like people don't even fact check on this site anymore just pump out content...

[Mr. David]

Zhang won silver in Beijing not London, CAMMARELLE was the one who got robbed against AJ as did Savon in the round of 16...

Seems like people don't even fact check on this site anymore just pump out content...

Oof! I had it correct in my TV picks preview but brain farted on this one. Thanks for pointing that out — I made the fix!

From the TV picks piece:

Zhang, 6-foot-6 and most recently in the ring at 287 pounds, has been a late bloomer. The 2008 Olympic silver medalist was dispatched early from the 2012 Games by Joshua, the eventual gold medalist.

[Roberto Vasquez]

I thought Fury was looking old in Saudi. All that abuse of his body is catching up with him now. I think unless he wipes out Usyk in those fights - whatever happens he will retire. He won't risk the AJ fight if he struggles with Usyk in any way. Usyk is looking old himself though - it has to be said.

[BustedKnuckles]

Usyk is looking old himself though - it has to be said.

Not sure anybody else has said this, and I agree. I don't think it's just a matter of graduating to hw and carrying that extra weight around the ring (as a slick mover).

[57Blues]

Not sure anybody else has said this, and I agree. I don't think it's just a matter of graduating to hw and carrying that extra weight around the ring (as a slick mover).

if Usick defeats Fury it will carry more weight then if Fury were to win. It would do more for the name n futrure of Usick then if Fury were to win, all the talk would be about Usick moving up to HW and not being a true HW and things like that. But i am leaning towards Usick winning but that is if it even happens.