BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
Tyson Fury hammered Christian Hammer in a one sided eight rounds beating at the 02 arena on Saturday, improving his record to 24-0(18). Hammer performed better than Derek Chisora had done in his rematch last November, when he looked completely over-matched and out of his depths in the nine rounds beating he took at the same venue. The visitor tried his best to engage Fury, but the much taller unbeaten gipsy used his reach to keep his limited opponent at bay, and from time to time delivered telling body shots to register his power on the German based Romanian who was ever struggling to deliver on his promise to overcome Fury. Hammer was dropped to the canvas in the fifth round, but managed to survive. Thereafter, it was a forgone conclusion that Fury was a cut above his opponent. Fury looked ungainly in his victory, typically lacking in the sort of aesthetics the greats of old like Tyson, Holyfield, and the great Ali had even in their journey to world championship glory.
After the fight , Fury told a press conference ” I overlooked that guy ever since I heard his name. It was very difficult to get up in the mornings to train for him. The better the dancer in front of me, the better I dance(fight). This statement clearly contradicted his rhetoric in the build up to the fight that he was taking a risky fight- one that demonstrated his authority in the division. His Uncle and trainer Peter Fury told eye of media right after the press conference ” Fury is the best British boxer this country has had in a hundred years. Who among our heavyweight in the past would have beaten him? He would have definitely decked Henry Cooper and taken away Bruno’s jab from him then done a number on him. Would he have beaten Lennox Lewis, I asked? ”Well, Lennox Lewis was not developed in this country, his skills were honed in Canada”, he replied.
Fury has stressed his desire to meet Klitschko next, and Frank Warren is intent on delivering that fight this summer. Peter Fury added ” Fury will hit Klitschko from all angles, he won’t believe what is happening. Klitschko is getting on (at 39 years of age) and will not be able to handle a young hungry gun like Tyson”. That fight will be intriguing because of the physical attributes of both fighters, more especially as both men will for the first time be meeting someone of comparable who is also competent in the ring. Fury will surely be the underdog for that fight, but if he wins looking in the sub-optimal shape he did against Hammer, it will simply lament the bad state of the division whilst crediting Fury with being the best man in a bad division. Only if he wins and successfully defends the title against new WBC champion, Deontey Wilder, may he actually begin to get some real recognition. In the meantime, Fury is the man to beat in this ailing division.
