- Alexander Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision after an exciting fight
- However, the behavior of Fury and his camp in Saudi Arabia has left a bad taste in their mouths
- Gypsy King’s mental health issues do not excuse his behavior
Let me address the elephant in the room, sympathy for Tyson Fury is fading this morning.
I always love it when a Brit wins, but more and more people follow our sport and are glad he didn’t. And you have to ask why?
Being a world champion comes with responsibility, and I don’t care how Tyson and his entourage behave in the build-up to the fight. It’s thuggish, it’s crude, and it can no longer be justified as a display of great struggle.
Like it or not, British sports fans are still seen as hooligans in many parts of the world, and the antics of those close to Tyson do nothing to dispel that.
They represent our sport, our country, they are part of it, the world champion. But it gets to a point where I find myself saying, “You’re a great fighter, but you know what?” It doesn’t work, that’s enough of us.”
Tyson’s story as an underdog who fought his mental demons to get back on the road to recovery and become a champion is a bestseller. It warmed the hearts of people who aren’t necessarily into boxing.
Click here to resize this module
Now he’s made enough money for his family and all his descendants to live comfortably, but what’s that worth if you’re tarnishing your legacy like that?
People are afraid to criticize for fear of being insensitive because of Tyson’s mental issues. That should not excuse his behavior.
Like many fighters, he can get depressed. You can often feel lonely.
Muhammad Ali, Anthony Joshua and many others were to conquer it. But that doesn’t mean you let your standards drop. Tyson is a smart man; he surely sees it. No one is telling him to keep this behavior under control.
My trainer, Brendan Ingle, used to tell me that boxing could be a “dirty, rotten whore’s game” at its worst, and the greatest sport in the world at its best.
Tyson is entertainment, but all around him is a money-making business masquerading as a sport.
He lost to a man he once described as “a gap-toothed middleweight,” and he shouldn’t have because he got control.
Whether it was due to complacency or fitness, Tyson should not have let Alexander Usyk back down after the seventh round.
He was having a lot of success on the front foot, punching, finding an uppercut, ducking, but he overcooked the buck against the “boxer” and then showed when he wasn’t close to the finish.
If you want to say, “I’m better than you, I’m in control,” all of this gave Usyk a chance to step back and consider a different approach.
Tyson’s head will be fried this morning just watching him get clipped and hurt so badly in the ninth round.
It was worse than his knockdown against Deontay Wilder because he walked away. The referee did him a favor because his body was limp, it looked like you were trying to hold water in your hand.
I told you all on Saturday that I had a dream in which Tyson told me that he won and that it happened under controversial circumstances.
Click here to resize this module
I chalked it up to winning the battle, but I may have to fine-tune how I read my dreams from now on.
However, you saw this fight, it was Usyk’s achievement and the better man won.
Politics aside, Saudi Arabia’s money is the reason these big fights are happening, and it’s the reason we’re going to see more opportunities for Tyson, Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
I know Tyson says he’ll take the rematch contract, but I doubt it’s just words. He will be devastated by this loss.
When he digests this and the fallout, I wonder if he’ll be motivated.
Maybe my words motivate him, but when he comes again, I just hope he does the right thing for the champion.