Tommy Fury Set to Return to Boxing Ring Against Former UFC Standout Darren Till

Tommy Fury will never have the type of legacy his brother, former world heavyweight champion Tyson, does. But that’s OK. Tommy doesn’t seem to have been drawn to boxing like his brother is.

But Fury would like to join his brother in being known for something other than beating Jake Paul. Fury has his next opponent lined up for Jan. 18 at the Co-op Live Arena at MF & DAZN: X Series 20. The fight, which will be streamed live on DAZN pay-per-view, may not be what fans were looking for.

But in the case of Fury and Paul, what kind of opponents do you expect them to schedule? Neither Fury nor Paul are looking to hold world titles. The latest trending boxing news shows both men are more interested in putting on a good show.

That creates an interesting case where fighters are always looking for their next opponent. Till should be an interesting next step for Fury, who is 10-0 in his career.

Till Was Once a Promising Prospect

There was a time when people believed that Till might be a fighter who could hold a belt in the UFC. But MMAfighting latest news shows that Till suffered injury and misfortune that damaged his career prospects. Till didn’t taste much disappointment early in his MMA career.

Till opened his MMA career with an 18-fight unbeaten streak, but in the final fight of that streak, Till missed weight against former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson. Till won that fight but struggled to put things together moving forward.

Till fought Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 and lost his title challenge when he was submitted in the second round. During Till’s next fight, he took a shocking loss in his home country to Jorge Masvidal. Till lost five of his final six fights in the UFC before choosing to pursue other opportunities.

Till took a lot of difficult fights during his career. He fought future champions Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker, as well as title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. Since the end of Tills’ time with the UFC, he hasn’t even been involved with two fights.

This past July, Till fought Mohammad Mutie in an exhibition MMA bout in Dubai. While Till was accused of landing a punch to the back of Mutie’s head, he was awarded a win by TKO. Following the fight, Mutie attempted to fight Till again after not being happy with the result.

Fury Has Spent Time Away from the Sport

Tommy Fury’s interest in boxing has ebbed and flowed during his career. Fury, 25, decided to stake a break from boxing in 2019 to star in a reality television show. While on Love Island, his boxing career was on hold.

In reality, Fury hadn’t been too competitive in the ring early in his career. While Fury won all of his fights, the level of competition wasn’t good. Fury, who is 5-foot-11 and fights at cruiserweight, beat an opponent with a record of 10-102-3 in his first professional fight.

During Fury’s second fight, he beat Callum Ide, who was 0-26-2 as a professional. Fury mostly fought lesser-named opponents before taking on Paul in February 2023.

Paul Fight Gave Fury a Pop

Say what you will about Paul, but he knows how to sell and promote fights. When Fury and Paul got together in February 2023, they were able to do nice numbers at the box office. Nearly 800,000 pay-per-view buys were reported for their fight at Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia.

This fight was supposed to happen two years earlier, but Fury had to pull out due to injury. Instead, Paul went back to the well of fighting former MMA fighters and took out Tyron Woodley.

Fury was able to score a win thanks to his superior output. Fury attempted twice as many punches as Paul and landed at a higher percentage. While the judges scored the fight a split decision, most people who observed the fight believed Fury won.

Will Aftermath of Paul-Tyson Hurt Fury’s Career?

There was a real push of boxers getting in the ring for celebrity-type boxing matches during the pandemic. While many of these bouts were sanctioned as professional, they still had an exhibition feel to them. When Mike Tyson and Paul fought at AT&T Stadium last weekend, there was a real letdown afterward.

There should be some shame for the consumers. I mean, did anyone think a 58-year-old Tyson would provide a challenge for any active boxer right now? Fury and Till aren’t nearly as old as Tyson, but there are some signs that the appetite for these bouts may be waning.

There is no direct path forward for any of these fighters. Since they aren’t competing for belts, there isn’t always a natural next fighter for fight fans to follow. They have to sit around and wait to see what will happen next. That isn’t usually good for keeping fans engaged.

Can Till beat Fury?

Probably not. But stranger things have happened. Till has never competed in a sanctioned professional boxing match before. While Till has boxed in an exhibition, he doesn’t have the experience Fury does.

While Fury isn’t quite the fighter his brother is, he does have a family that is actively involved in the sport and knows how to train properly. Expect Fury to be interested in putting on a real show in this fight before trying to get a rematch with Paul.

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By Dean McHugh.