Fury Is No Longer The Same – ‘He Had 47 Stitches’

Carl Froch has said Tyson Fury is no longer the same fighter. 

The WBC Heavyweight Champion has been criticized ever since his performance against Francis Ngannou. Fury did not look himself against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, who was making his boxing debut. The Gypsy King hit the canvas in round three and struggled to deal with Ngannou, scraping through with a split-decision win. 

There were suggestions Fury may have overlooked Ngannou, but the heavyweight denied this, stating he had prepared well. That performance meant he pulled out of his bout with Oleksandr Usyk, which was scheduled for December 23.

The fight was then put in place for February 17. Fury, however, withdrew for a second time after sustaining a cut in sparring over his right eye. These latest niggles and injuries have suggested that Fury is a depleted fighter. At 35, he can no longer operate the same that he was once doing. 

Froch On Fury

“He’s been down on the floor four or five times in the last 70 rounds of fighting, and he’s getting older. He puts a lot of weight on between fights. He’s been up to 26 stone. He doesn’t go that heavy now, but he carries a lot of weight around his stomach and love handles around the break basket. He puts a bit of timber on,” Froch said 

Much of that has been due to how Fury has been carrying himself between fights. After beating Wladimir Klitschko, Fury pulled out of the rematch and retired. During this period, he suffered mental health issues as he ballooned up in weight. 

He also had substance abuse issues, making the problem much worse. After making his return, he had three tough fights with Deontay Wilder. The Gypsy King hit the canvas several times, showing he could be hurt. He also suffered a big cut in his fight against Otto Wallin. Fury made it through the bout, winning a unanimous decision. But there was an argument that it should have been stopped, as Wallin was deprived of an upset win. The Swede feels that was the moment Fury was never the same. 

Wallin On Fury

“I’m not a doctor but he had 47 stitches, it was two cuts he had when we fought. So of course, I feel that he’s probably going to be vulnerable. It’s also interesting that another southpaw opened it up. Of course, Usyk is going to be aware of that but with Tyson you can’t just go for the head or a cut like that, because you might lose your gameplan. I think Usyk is smart enough to look at the tapes and see that he really needs to go to the body to set things up,” Wallin stated

But Fury has shown throughout his career that he fights best when the pressure is on him to deliver. Since Usyk is a former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion, undefeated like Fury, the Gypsy King knows he needs a stellar performance.

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