[Please Help] Building a list of fighters throughout history who can beat Fury...

[Cypocryphy]

Fury has a granite chin. Who is stopping him? What fighter is crazy enough to awaken that beast?

His chin might be granite, but I assure you that his midsection isn't. You get someone beating his ribs all fight, the giant will topple. And there are a lot of fighters that can punish that guy's liver and spleen.

Everyone here is hyped by his last fight, but this talk wasn't there a year ago. Fury's weakness is his humongous torso.

Ruiz Jr. and others could make short work of Fury. Tall guys have all kinds of issue with short opponents. Usyk could be a surprise standout here, too.

Also, you've got some new faces coming up who could lay the giant low such as Vladyslav Sirenko and Tony Yoka.

[Watcherw1]

plenty beat fury, stop being a fanboy

[LoadedWraps]

His chin might be granite, but I assure you that his midsection isn't. You get someone beating his ribs all fight, the giant will topple. And there are a lot of fighters that can punish that guy's liver and spleen.

Everyone here is hyped by his last fight, but this talk wasn't there a year ago. Fury's weakness is his humongous torso.

Ruiz Jr. and others could make short work of Fury. Tall guys have all kinds of issue with short opponents. Usyk could be a surprise standout here, too.

Also, you've got some new faces coming up who could lay the giant low such as Vladyslav Sirenko and Tony Yoka.

T0ny Yoka? I'm tabbing Ajagba as the one who might be able to take Fury to deep waters and maybe drown him.

Good post though, the way to bring a bigger man to your level is to invest in the body and being him down to your level.

[Cypocryphy]

T0ny Yoka? I'm tabbing Ajagba as the one who might be able to take Fury to deep waters and maybe drown him.

Good post though, the way to being a bigger man to your level is to invest in the body and being him down to your level.

LOL That's funny. I haven't heard that one before. And thank you.

Yeah, I can see Ajagba doing that, too. For sure. I've also noticed that the majority of his opponents, aside from Chisora and some others, are about six and a half feet tall. So I'm thinking that Fury prefers taller opponents. I mean, maybe that's just how the heavyweight landscape is at the moment, so I could be wrong about that. Nonetheless, I suspect taller opponents are a bit easier for Fury. I keep thinking that a MIKE TYSON would have been hell for him. Punching up is more dangerous to the opponent than is punching downward. You get to really put your legs into the punches. That's the theory, anyway.

As an aside, I hope that we can bypass the Wilder fight for a bout with AJ. But then again, it might be good to silence all the conspiracy theorists that it was a one off that Fury beat Wilder. I just know that the third beating will be the most severe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[BodyBagz]

95% of them......

[removed]

T0ny Yoka? I'm tabbing Ajagba as the one who might be able to take Fury to deep waters and maybe drown him.

Good post though, the way to bring a bigger man to your level is to invest in the body and being him down to your level.

As if a big stiff like Ajagba would ever beat Fury.

[LoadedWraps]

As if a big stiff like Ajagba would ever beat Fury.

I wouldn't favor him, but I do hope he can develop into a threat to anyone at the top, Fury included. While Fury is levels above the rest and probably will retire as such, a fighter can still present problems, stylistically. I just don't see a fighter outside of Usyk who might have the right tools. Imo the best chance will be from a smaller fighter who knows how to fight low, goes to the body, and has really good footwork and ring generalship, and good defense.

Just makes the division more exciting if people think a contender can dethrone the champ, even if it's not true / a pipe dream.

[LoadedWraps]

LOL That's funny. I haven't heard that one before. And thank you.

Yeah, I can see Ajagba doing that, too. For sure. I've also noticed that the majority of his opponents, aside from Chisora and some others, are about six and a half feet tall. So I'm thinking that Fury prefers taller opponents. I mean, maybe that's just how the heavyweight landscape is at the moment, so I could be wrong about that. Nonetheless, I suspect taller opponents are a bit easier for Fury. I keep thinking that a MIKE TYSON would have been hell for him. Punching up is more dangerous to the opponent than is punching downward. You get to really put your legs into the punches. That's the theory, anyway.

As an aside, I hope that we can bypass the Wilder fight for a bout with AJ. But then again, it might be good to silence all the conspiracy theorists that it was a one off that Fury beat Wilder. I just know that the third beating will be the most severe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The beauty of boxing is there is always a ying for the yang.

Everything can be cancelled out in boxing, the question is, can you execute, and can you stay one step (strategically) ahead of your opponent. The last major variable is, do you have the gas tank to execute, even if you have the skillset and IQ for it.

Taller fighters have advantages but a smaller fighter who knows how to use HIS advantages can bring the taller fighter to his level. I'm 5'8, so I focus on lower levels of boxing. I don't fight tall, I fight low. A nice wide stance and being able to work down at a low level (almost squatting) is where I want to keep your focus, at least half the time. Against a bigger guy, my goal is to find a way around his jab (if he has one) and make it a phone booth fight. If he comes toward me, I'll hold my ground, slip and roll the 1s and 2s, and try to counter to the body and up top but coming up and exploding, in carefully picked windows of opportunity. If he moves laterally and off the back foot and tries to outbox me entirely from the outside in the process, I'm coming forward but cutting the ring off, or even jogging for spurts right at him, and forcing my fight. Margarito would do this often and it's a huge psychological blow to the opponent when he rocks you, and you just nod as if to say "love it, I want more" and you walk right toward him. If he hit you with his best right before that, it could mentally defeat you that very second. Boxing is largely a mental game too.

A guy like Tyson, who can let his hands go with speed and intensity, and who has great defense out of the peek a boo stance, is a nightmare for taller fighters to deal with. Having to punch down on a dude, I can double a jab on your forehead and put a 2 right behind it and still miss you wide if you slip it at the right time, and my entire right torso is wide open. A guy with long arms, yes, he can hit you first all things equal but his hand has to travel farther both ways, a more compact fighter, in a phone booth fight, those hands do not have to travel far in a shoeshine inside.

All of that said, Fury is an exceptional fighter who absolutely uses his size and height well, it would take a herculean effort to beat him, no matter what you bring to the table, imo.

[Cypocryphy]

The beauty of boxing is there is always a ying for the yang.

Everything can be cancelled out in boxing, the question is, can you execute, and can you stay one step (strategically) ahead of your opponent. The last major variable is, do you have the gas tank to execute, even if you have the skillset and IQ for it.

Haha Yeah. Gas in the tank. I've been there where you can't even lift your arms up to even throw a punch or even defend yourself. I suppose that's Ring IQ. Knowing how to conserve energy and not punch yourself out.

But yeah, totally agree. There's an answer for everything.

Taller fighters have advantages but a smaller fighter who knows how to use HIS advantages can bring the taller fighter to his level. I'm 5'8, so I focus on lower levels of boxing. I don't fight tall, I fight low. A nice wide stance and being able to work down at a low level (almost squatting) is where I want to keep your focus, at least half the time.

I always think of Joe Frazier when someone talks about fighting low. His bob and weave fighting style is so awkward. I imagine he was a nightmare for most boxers. Very hard to fight someone going low like that.

I suppose it's more like Tyson, your style? Peekaboo?

Check these kids out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVGZBme_Ww

It's better than a lot of boxing matches I've seen

Against a bigger guy, my goal is to find a way around his jab (if he has one) and make it a phone booth fight. If he comes toward me, I'll hold my ground, slip and roll the 1s and 2s, and try to counter to the body and up top but coming up and exploding, in carefully picked windows of opportunity. If he moves laterally and off the back foot and tries to outbox me entirely from the outside in the process, I'm coming forward but cutting the ring off, or even jogging for spurts right at him, and forcing my fight. Margarito would do this often and it's a huge psychological blow to the opponent when he rocks you, and you just nod as if to say "love it, I want more" and you walk right toward him. If he hit you with his best right before that, it could mentally defeat you that very second. Boxing is largely a mental game too.

Ha! Yeah. Margarito. I think Roberto Duran was good at this too.

A guy like Tyson, who can let his hands go with speed and intensity, and who has great defense out of the peek a boo stance, is a nightmare for taller fighters to deal with. Having to punch down on a dude, I can double a jab on your forehead and put a 2 right behind it and still miss you wide if you slip it at the right time, and my entire right torso is wide open. A guy with long arms, yes, he can hit you first all things equal but his hand has to travel farther both ways, a more compact fighter, in a phone booth fight, those hands do not have to travel far in a shoeshine inside.

Yeah. Nice. I agree. You get in close, and the longer armed guy really can't get the leverage to throw cleanly or with any significant force. It's much hard for him. Yeah. Close the distance and negate the strength of the longer armed, taller fighter.

All of that said, Fury is an exceptional fighter who absolutely uses his size and height well, it would take a herculean effort to beat him, no matter what you bring to the table, imo.

Yeah. Fury is a beast. He plays the mind game well, too. Great Ring IQ. That being said, I've been looking for at Tony Yoka, and I really think he'd do well against Fury. A tall fighter but with brilliant ring IQ, speed and power. I'll be watching his career closely.

Great post, man. It makes a lot of sense!

[LoadedWraps]

Haha Yeah. Gas in the tank. I've been there where you can't even lift your arms up to even throw a punch or even defend yourself. I suppose that's Ring IQ. Knowing how to conserve energy and not punch yourself out.

But yeah, totally agree. There's an answer for everything.



I always think of Joe Frazier when someone talks about fighting low. His bob and weave fighting style is so awkward. I imagine he was a nightmare for most boxers. Very hard to fight someone going low like that.

I suppose it's more like Tyson, your style? Peekaboo?

Check these kids out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVGZBme_Ww

It's better than a lot of boxing matches I've seen



Ha! Yeah. Margarito. I think Roberto Duran was good at this too.



Yeah. Nice. I agree. You get in close, and the longer armed guy really can't get the leverage to throw cleanly or with any significant force. It's much hard for him. Yeah. Close the distance and negate the strength of the longer armed, taller fighter.



Yeah. Fury is a beast. He plays the mind game well, too. Great Ring IQ. That being said, I've been looking for at Tony Yoka, and I really think he'd do well against Fury. A tall fighter but with brilliant ring IQ, speed and power. I'll be watching his career closely.

Great post, man. It makes a lot of sense!

Was also going to mention in that post and forgot: ideally you are using your hips, you put your whole body into body shots, you want to avoid arm punching.

I actually prefer a philly shell, though I think Tysons peek a boo is beautiful and really effective. I'm just more comfortable in a philly and it feels more natural to me. Either way though the risks of going to the body are the same, you still are exposed upstairs and I think most fighters would rather leave the body open than the face, if having to choose. As fans, its easy to say "why didn't he go to the body" but it's easier said than done, it only takes one nasty counter right on the nose and it can leave you reluctant to look for that opening again the rest of the fight. The worse punch to receive is the counter imo. Its the one shot you really can't slip or roll, or catch, that's why it usually lands flush.

In the shell, I like that I am able to protect my body mostly with my left arm, and when I am shelled up and low, it's hard for taller guys to look for my body when they already have to reach down to hit my head which is closer, but I'm still pretty hittable, I admit it's my weaker area of defense, and I've had ribs broken in sparring and it really sucks.

One thing I love about the peek a boo is that you have both hands up and can let them go upstairs and bring them back really fast, if you mix in some subtle feints you can mess people up.

I'll definitely pay attention to Yoka, thanks for the mention and it's fun and refreshing to talk some real boxing on here.