Yesterday afternoon I sat in my living room and for the first time in several months watched a big time boxing match live. This afternoon I have decided to write on here after a long absence from covering the sport I have been obsessed with since I was a kid. As a boxing fan I have been in a little bit of a crossroads and have scaled back my boxing diet so to speak. I have taken a break from following the sport, engaging in fan forums or training at the gym that I was a part of the last three years. I am on the fence about continuing this blog but that is another story in and of itself. Tyson Fury’s return, though he was never truly gone, occurred in England with a trilogy fight with Derek Chisora. This was probably the worst fight I could have chosen to return to boxing for as it was as awful a fight as it was useless. Fury had twice defeated Chisora prior to his title reign in the early 2010’s and neither encounter was compelling enough to warrant a second or third fight. This whole spectacle felt like a disgusting money grab and a friendly spar with Fury largely taking it easy on Chisora until the referee waved it off in the tenth round.
This fight kind of embodies my frustration and growing disinterest in the sport at the moment. Yes this was a stay busy fight, but it was also a title fight. Chisora was not a title caliber opponent as demonstrated in the drubbing he took against Joseph Parker. Fury was a -2000 favorite and anyone with any shred of boxing knowledge knew this was a farce, I watched it anyway. Oleksandr Usyk sat ringside taking in the contest and is the obvious match up for Fury in 2023. I will go as far to say that if Fury does not face Usyk that I have no interest in what he does next and it will be a horrible stain on the heavyweight division if the two obvious foils do not meet in the ring. But what else is new? Dmitry Bivol and Arthur Beterbiev have held light heavyweight titles consistently since 2017 and have not even been close to getting in the ring. Errol Spence and Terrence Crawford continue to duck each other to the detriment of the sport and Crawford hilariously claims he does not need the fight and his legacy is sealed. Bullshit!
Yesterday had all of the sights and sounds of a blockbuster heavyweight fight. The outdoor stadium was filled to the rafters, the crowd was into the festivities, the ring walks were flashy, the robes were fancy, the light show was bright, Jimmy Lennon Jr did his thing and there was that big fight feel in the air. Chisora marched out in round one and fired an overhand right to begin the contest and that was about as competitive as it got. By the second round the fight was no longer competitive and in the third round it appeared that if Tyson really wanted to he could put together combinations and turn off the lights on Derek Chisora. And then he didn’t, he proceeded to clinch and pepper Chisora who was limited to telegraphed right hand swings for the head and some ineffective rips to the body. The fight was not competitive, compelling, or interesting and Chisora’s eyes swelled as his chances diminished. Eventually, the referee, in an act of mercy called the fight with Chisora not really out on his feet but just taking a systematic beat down. It felt like Fury was giving him a retirement check and glorified spar. If you missed the fight, don’t watch it unless you are having a tough time falling asleep.
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