Tyson Fury vs. Dereck Chisora II Fight Preview and Prediction
When: Saturday, July 26, 2014
Where: Phones 4U Arena, Manchester, England
TV: Not available at time of print
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Titles: British and European Heavyweight Titles: 12 Rounds
By Loot, Boxing Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Tyson Fury, 22-0 (16 KOs), Cheshire, England
Vs.
Dereck Chisora, 20-4 (13 KOs), London, England/Zimbabwe
Betting Odds: Tyson Fury (-225), Dereck Chisora (+175). Bet the fight for free by receiving a 100% bonus on your deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets.
In a huge British heavyweight bout with world title implications, Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora will fight in a rematch from a 2011 bout won by Fury. Both men have gotten better. Fury has scored some nice wins in the interim, while Chisora has shown himself to also be in better form as of late. While Fury won with some room to spare, Chisora’s corpulence certainly played a role. Look for a more in-shape Chisora this time around and therefore, a more competitive fight.
In the 3 years since their first fight, Chisora has had an eventful up-and-down career. Unbeaten when he first fought Fury, the 30-year old Zimbabwe transplant went on to give highly-rated Robert Helenius a working-over, only to get victimized by a hometown decision. He was then strangely given a shot at ultra-dominant WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and although he lost, Chisora became one of a precious few to give the elder Klitschko a real fight. His momentum came screeching to a halt when he was poleaxed by David Haye in 2012. But Chisora is now riding the crest of 5 straight wins. Added conditioning and professionalism have made him a real threat.
Fury catches a lot of flack. First of all, his PR is absurd, with a constantly-confrontational attitude, accompanied by bombastic tweets. And let’s face it--he is a bit of an oaf. He can be hit quite easily and although he has good athleticism for a guy who is 6’9,” he’s no cutie in the ring. But what he lacks in the finer points, he makes up with a high level of toughness, an irrepressible fighting spirit, and an undeniable physicality that no opponent has yet been able to overcome. He’s not as good as he thinks he is or makes himself out to be, but he’s not quite the hopeless “horizontal Brit” that some portray him as, either.
Where Fury comes up short and why it’s hard to envision him rising to the absolute top is his lack of the finer points. Even in the heavyweight division, it’s good to master things like ring geography, angles, distance, defense, and things like that. With Fury, it’s all about being big and hitting people. When you’re nearly 7-feet tall, tough as heck, and a pissed-off young man--that’s enough to get you far. To kick it into another gear, however, more dimensions are needed. He’s just not that smart in the ring. But he is merciless and gritty--you have to give him that much.
In April of last year, Fury almost lost, after getting splattered onto the canvas by former cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham. The slick, but much smaller Philadelphian smashed Fury with an overhand shot. Fury looked out of it, but to his credit, he rose from the canvas and soldiered on to a 7th-round knockout win. The fight is a microcosm of what Fury represents--a fascinating combination of strengths and weaknesses.
Fury has major advantages in height and reach over Chisora. At the same time, Fury is not the type of long-range fighter who puts his physical assets to best use. He’s a slugger. He likes going to war. That suits Chisora just fine. The compact slugger is a handful, with his powerful hooks and big right hands. And like Fury, he is tough and full of fighting spirit. He didn’t show it so much in their first fight, but fatigue will make cowards of us all.
Chisora has less margin for error than Fury, being 5 years older and with some defeats already scattered on his record. That urgency should manifest in a motivated and well-conditioned Chisora who is fighting with a lot on the line. But that doesn’t mean Chisora will be the only one feeling a sense of urgency. With a win here, Fury can start to make a pretty good case for getting a world title shot, however hopeless a challenge of Wladimir Klitschko may seem.
It would very upsetting if this was not a good fight. Tyson Fury personifies excitement inside the ring and almost can’t help but make a good fight at this point. A lot of this depends on Chisora and how he turns up in the ring come July 26. If he has his weight down and fights Fury like he fought Klitschko, it’s not all that difficult picturing him winning a decision or even stopping his towering opponent. But when you need to count on a guy being at 100%, when his opponent can win at about 90%, it doesn’t bode well for Chisora. It’s like too many stars need to line up for him to win.
Look for Chisora to be in good form and bring the fight to Fury, with each experiencing their share of rocky moments. I look for this to a be close bout that comes down to the wire, with the greater insistence of Fury winning the day.
Loot’s Pick to Win the Fight: I’m taking Tyson Fury to win. Find the best odds as well as prop bets for this fight at the web's best boxing gambling site: 5Dimes.
