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Been telling y'all for years on these very pages,
this kid has the personality, the fighting heart and the talent to be a huge (and hugely endearing) star.
Fools outright scoffed, of course. They couldn't see the talent, couldn't see the charm. Dull minds.
Well, tonight was Hamed-Kelley all over again. It was the most exciting heavyweight fight we've had in perhaps a decade. A star has landed.
Let me talk about the showman in Fury first. He got people talking before the fight, then, after thrilling them with the most exciting heavyweight contest you'll see all year, he addressed them directly, engagingly, and sung to them.
He was charismatic, in the fight and after it. He showed great sporting decency when it was called for, demanding a big hand for a warrior in Cunningham and the war of a fight they shared. He was everything you want in a heavyweight personality. A charmer with the face of a matinee idol and the heart of a Champion prizefighter.
This kid can be a UK national treasure, once the bigots all get over the fact that he chooses to represent both sides of his heritage - but, more than that, he can charm the world. He's already doing it as of tonight.
Onto the fight.
Cunningham is a fast guy, a very game, competitive guy and a very experienced guy. He just unofficially defeated Adamek, who was pretty much a consensus Top 5 heavy of the last few years. He was never going to be effortlessly dominated by a 20-fight, still-developing 24 year old, regardless of a size disparity (what a man lacks in size, he can compensate for elsewhere, as we saw). He was always going to have his say in the fight. Let's get that straight, first off.
Whether you're smart enough to see it or not, Fury made adjustments in there tonight.
Although Fury should theoretically have been at an advantage with distance between them (and that can still be worked on), Cunningham was having his successes when he had range to work with - U.S.S.'s speed was allowing him to manipulate that distance very well to get those solid rights over. Fury recognized this and, after the knockdown scare, started walking the man down with a high guard, shortening the distance quickly with his footspeed and making the fight rough and physical. He also started to slip shots and roll with them more, exercising his ability with torso control (which he should never disregard, given how limber and athletically talented he is), becoming much less statuesque than he was at the start of the fight when he boxed with the guy.
Yes, he got caught again with that right hand Pajkic got him with, but that doesn't mean he hasn't learned anything. Pajkic wouldn't be able to repeat his feat of 18 months ago against the current version of Fury, but Cunningham's quickness was greater than Fury had experienced in prior contests, and that's why Steve was able to land those right hands.
There are times when you have to experience something before you can appreciate it and then figure out how to deal with it. Fury experienced true heavyweight speed tonight and got shook up, but he ****** it up, switched it up and got through the adversity to give us a captivating heavyweight FIGHT.
Of course we'd never see a one-dimensional, useless bum like David Price show those kinds of powers of recovery, let alone make that kind of in-fight adjustment. If he was even able to get his legs back after a knockdown (we've seen that he clearly isn't, but let's just humour the idea for a moment), he'd just stand there doing the same thing that got his him dropped over and over again. Dude is clueless. Let's not talk about that robotic fool plumber ever again.
Cunningham >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thompson as an opponent.
Just for kicks, Fury will crush Thompson next, if Thompson does what he should do (smash the bum Price again) and then elects to meet Fury.
Fury-haters, I have no interest in your unlearned words, so don't expect a reply. I am merely serving you all notice. Fury is here.
He's climbed the highest mountains and run through the fields, he's run, he's crawled and scaled city walls, he's spoken with eternal angels and held the hand of a devil, only to be with you. Embrace him, Luke Tyson Fury, your warrior, your hero, your Champion, the one you've been looking for and more. We, as boxing fans, must weep with him. Cheer with him. Love him. He's what this sport is about.
The boy is the truth. Open your arms to him or not, but you'd better get used to him.
this kid has the personality, the fighting heart and the talent to be a huge (and hugely endearing) star.
Fools outright scoffed, of course. They couldn't see the talent, couldn't see the charm. Dull minds.
Well, tonight was Hamed-Kelley all over again. It was the most exciting heavyweight fight we've had in perhaps a decade. A star has landed.
Let me talk about the showman in Fury first. He got people talking before the fight, then, after thrilling them with the most exciting heavyweight contest you'll see all year, he addressed them directly, engagingly, and sung to them.
He was charismatic, in the fight and after it. He showed great sporting decency when it was called for, demanding a big hand for a warrior in Cunningham and the war of a fight they shared. He was everything you want in a heavyweight personality. A charmer with the face of a matinee idol and the heart of a Champion prizefighter.
This kid can be a UK national treasure, once the bigots all get over the fact that he chooses to represent both sides of his heritage - but, more than that, he can charm the world. He's already doing it as of tonight.
Onto the fight.
Cunningham is a fast guy, a very game, competitive guy and a very experienced guy. He just unofficially defeated Adamek, who was pretty much a consensus Top 5 heavy of the last few years. He was never going to be effortlessly dominated by a 20-fight, still-developing 24 year old, regardless of a size disparity (what a man lacks in size, he can compensate for elsewhere, as we saw). He was always going to have his say in the fight. Let's get that straight, first off.
Whether you're smart enough to see it or not, Fury made adjustments in there tonight.
Although Fury should theoretically have been at an advantage with distance between them (and that can still be worked on), Cunningham was having his successes when he had range to work with - U.S.S.'s speed was allowing him to manipulate that distance very well to get those solid rights over. Fury recognized this and, after the knockdown scare, started walking the man down with a high guard, shortening the distance quickly with his footspeed and making the fight rough and physical. He also started to slip shots and roll with them more, exercising his ability with torso control (which he should never disregard, given how limber and athletically talented he is), becoming much less statuesque than he was at the start of the fight when he boxed with the guy.
Yes, he got caught again with that right hand Pajkic got him with, but that doesn't mean he hasn't learned anything. Pajkic wouldn't be able to repeat his feat of 18 months ago against the current version of Fury, but Cunningham's quickness was greater than Fury had experienced in prior contests, and that's why Steve was able to land those right hands.
There are times when you have to experience something before you can appreciate it and then figure out how to deal with it. Fury experienced true heavyweight speed tonight and got shook up, but he ****** it up, switched it up and got through the adversity to give us a captivating heavyweight FIGHT.
Of course we'd never see a one-dimensional, useless bum like David Price show those kinds of powers of recovery, let alone make that kind of in-fight adjustment. If he was even able to get his legs back after a knockdown (we've seen that he clearly isn't, but let's just humour the idea for a moment), he'd just stand there doing the same thing that got his him dropped over and over again. Dude is clueless. Let's not talk about that robotic fool plumber ever again.
Cunningham >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thompson as an opponent.
Just for kicks, Fury will crush Thompson next, if Thompson does what he should do (smash the bum Price again) and then elects to meet Fury.
Fury-haters, I have no interest in your unlearned words, so don't expect a reply. I am merely serving you all notice. Fury is here.
He's climbed the highest mountains and run through the fields, he's run, he's crawled and scaled city walls, he's spoken with eternal angels and held the hand of a devil, only to be with you. Embrace him, Luke Tyson Fury, your warrior, your hero, your Champion, the one you've been looking for and more. We, as boxing fans, must weep with him. Cheer with him. Love him. He's what this sport is about.
The boy is the truth. Open your arms to him or not, but you'd better get used to him.
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