By Henry Okoduwa
With a record of 34 wins, no loss and a single draw -- with 24 coming via knockouts -- in a total of 35 professional fights, you can't but agree, even if grudgingly, that he deserves his belt as the current WBC Heavyweight Champion of the world.
His name is Tyson Fury and he never fails to tell anyone who cares to listen that he is indeed the world's best in the current era.
He is British, and he stands 6ft 9in tall. He is only just 35, but his experience in boxing's most glamorous weight class is as imposing as his height.
You can't miss him when he steps in the ring. He has an intimidating presence and a reach that frightens even his formidable opponents.
Fury is not only good at beating his opponents to submission. He is also good at trash talking. Sometimes, some boxing fans wonder if he doesn't overdo it.
But behind the steely exterior is a fighter who is so vulnerable that only a few boxers have been able to discover it.
Yes, a few fighters. Deontay Wilder, for instance. And then, Francis Ngannou just recently!
Tyson Fury has shown a disturbing trait, which if well exploited by a smart opponent, could see him losing his much cherished world title.
The one known as the 'Gypsy King' has acquired the notoriety of getting knocked down too often in fights to give his fans cause for concerns.
He has had some relatively easy fights in which he rode roughshod over his opponents but he always seems to come up short against boxers who stand toe to toe to him in the ring.
Note that the first time he fought Deontay Wilder on November 30, 2018, he was dropped twice in the 9th and 12th rounds before a 17, 698 strong crowd at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
He managed to end that encounter in a draw but some boxing analysts believe the fight was Wilder's for the taking. With better stamina, Wilder would have ended that encounter, despatching the mouthy Briton that night.
Wilder has since lived to regret the slip up as he ultimately lost the title to Fury in a famous trilogy.
Fury may have studied his opponent's one-dimensional style in which he relies so much on his devastating right hand, and decided to exploit it to his advantage in their rematch that took place almost two years later on February 22, 2020.
The fight staged at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas saw Fury returning the knock down courtesies as he floored Wilder twice in Rounds 3 and 5 enroute to a famous win in faraway Nevada.
But their third and final fight at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on October 9, 2021 would see Fury exposed so glaringly again. Both men exchanged a total of 5 knockdowns as Fury won the fight via an 11th round knockout.
However, Wilder showed that Fury wasn't so invincible after all by knocking him down twice in the 4th round. Once again, the lack of stamina to go the distance did prove his undoing as he capitulated to a late rally by the more resilient Fury who ended winning and going home with the WBC belt for keeps.
That vulnerable part of Fury had gone dormant for a while since then, until when he traded wits with Francis Ngannou in a recent non-title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Many watchers had not attached much importance to the fight because nothing other than prestige was at stake. Besides, Ngannou, a former UFC champion was not seen as one who could stretch Tyson and give him the kind of competitive fight they would have loved to see.
But all of that changed when they stepped in the ring. The fight was sanctioned to go for just 10 rounds. But it wasn't until the third round that sparks started to fly. Suddenly, against all expectations, it was the almighty Fury who was lying sprawling on the canvass as the stadium erupted in delirium.
Ngannou had unleashed one of his ferocious punches that his trainer, the legendary Mike Tyson had said was a sure winner.
Well, Fury did beat the count and survived the round, but it was clear that his pride and confidence had been dealt a mortal blow.
Watchers at the ringside, and indeed millions of viewers across the globe were not only taken aback by the surprising turn of events, but were convinced that a more dyed-in-the-wool opponent could have taken the boastful Briton to the cleaners via a flurry of follow-ups as soon as he tried to gather his wits about him.
But the inexperience of coming from the ranks of the UFC was a major setback for the well toned African of Camerounian origin.
Well, Fury was let off albeit mercifully.
But the question being asked by astute fans is, how long will he keep surviving these frequent knockdowns?
Just sitting by the ringside was Oleksandr Usyk, the man who dethroned Anthony Joshua and now holds the WBA, IBF, WBO belts. There is already talk of a possible unification showdown between Fury and Usyk.
Some fans cringe at the prospects of what might happen if Fury finds himself in the situation he found himself with Ngannou on October 28.
For sure, they know it will take more than trash-talking to beat the count against the more well oiled Ukrainian.
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