AJ wins
Fury or Wilder???
Fury.
That said, i'm a massive non-fan of boxing (a strange statement as I competed in Muay Thai).
The endless hype and manufactured animosity. If any of it is genuine then it's an utter disgrace... if i'd said anything remotely negative about any of my opponents into the run-up to a fight, i'd have been pulled out the fight and most likely thrown out of my gym.
If as I suspect it's manufactured, then just what is the point. Why can't the sport speak for itself and provide the spectacle.
Another major point that bothers me is the protection of fighters "zero records". There's no shame in losing. People having 30/40/50-0 records etc just shows that for the most part they were not fighting the correct level of opponent. Why does Joshua spend 3 years fighting absolute nobodies before they put him in with anybody decent.
In Muay Thai there are two belts of note, and they are governed and managed by the stadiums rather than a 'federation'... no exceptions, you have to fight your way up, beat the best, and be the number one ranked fighter to get a championship shot at the current champion. Some fighters have fought each other 8 or 9 times. Even the very best fighters may have lost 30 or 40 times over a career spanning over 300 fights. Perfectly reasonable if you're always pitting yourself against the very best.
Western boxing is a soap-opera in comparison.
I'm in no way denouncing the heart and ability of the boxers by the way... just the circus that follows them.
A woman has very recently passed for the first time the physical tests to join the Parachute Regiment - amongst the tests is "milling": boxing an opponent for 1 minute, aiming only at the head; ducking/weaving/blocking not permitted; the bout is only interrupted for a broken nose or if one of the boxers goes down - if not unconscious he/she must get up and continue. Wow - a bit of a contrast to professional boxing.
Last edited by Mike T; 21-02-2020 at 10:08 PM.
Fury wins with a TKO in the 7th.
He is the true champion.
He leads and others just follow.
No doubt in my mind that he will beat AJ when it finally gets on.
Purse should be either 100% to the winner or a straight 50/50 split.
I am not the greatest fan of boxing but a fantastic win by Fury.
The best part of it for me is the flummox the BBC, C4, the left wing politicians and media are getting into as to how or if his win should be celebrated/honoured due to his previous comments about various aspects of life.
He should be a shoe in for SPOTY but I lost interest in that when they came up with the short list idea which deprived the public in voting for their favourite.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Odds-on that any Fury vs Joshua fight would be in Saudi Arabia...
If so, that would be a massive kick in the teeth for the British boxing public. Surely that should lead to a huge boycott of any pay-per-view tv coverage...
I'm with you on both points Travs.
Only thing with the PPV tv is that most people have a short memory.
Its promoters who what the profits for them. Both boxers will be financially secure.
They want the title.
Plus there will be a rematch.