There are a lot of interesting fights taking place in the world of boxing Saturday night. Yet in a way, none are more interesting than Tyson Fury vs. Sefer Seferi. And that’s entirely because of one man.
In 2015, Tyson Fury did the seemingly impossible. He beat Wladimir Klitschko, ending the LOOOONG Klitschko era, and in one moment ushering in a whole new era of Heavyweight boxing. Then he bailed. Fury’s behaviors outside the ring have always been erratic, but they reached a new point after he became the champion, with Fury retiring and reversing that decision so many times no one ever knew entirely what was up. All the while, he was dealing with issues relating to PEDs, various controversial comments, and just a general sense of chaos. Now, over two years later, he returns. Here are the key points to consider:
- With a perfect record of 25-0 (18 KOs) there’s no denying that Fury can box. He has a weird, awkward style and he’s big and knows how to use his size. With those tools, he pulled off a massive Heavyweight upset - probably the biggest since Douglas vs. Tyson. The man can fight. But...
- That Fury vs. Klitschko fight stunk. Like, seriously stunk. It was bad and awkward and boring. But...
- Fury remains the lineal Heavyweight champion, and while he’s had all his actual titles stripped and moved on to other fighters, to many, Fury is still the man at Heavyweight, and he will be until he loses. But...
- He’s not in a real fight here, instead taking on Cruiserweight Sefer Seferi in a lopsided mismatch. But...
- He probably should be in this kind of fight right now, as he’s coming back from a long absence that saw him get horribly out of shape.
So just how “back” is Tyson Fury? The truth is we don’t know. This could be the start of his return run to Heavyweight gold, it could be a low-risk cash grab return in the style of David Haye, or it could be one fight followed by another two year absence. With Fury you just never know. And that’s what makes this fight the weekend’s Must Watch Boxing event.
Tyson Fury vs. Sefer Seferi airs this Saturday, June 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Showtime will air the fight, along with Terry Flanagan vs. Maurice Hooker, live on their YouTube channel. Join us right here for coverage.