Over-the-top praise of Tyson Fury after Tom Schwarz win is an insult to real fans of boxing
ANYONE watching the Tyson Fury fight on TV would have thought he had beaten Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson - all on the same night.
I’ve heard some tosh in my time but the insufferable over-the-top praise for Fury’s win over Tom Schwarz by the BT pundits was an insult to the intelligence of every fan who knows the difference between a left-hook and a coat-hook.
What made it even more galling was that it cost £19.95 for the privilege of listening to the gushing garbage.
Fury was 50-1 on for heaven’s sake and after less than six minutes he had left Schwarz a bloody wreck.
The spectacle was described as entertainment. I suppose it depends how you get your pleasure.
But I find seeing someone destroyed in a miserable mismatch a turn-off.
Let’s put the Gypsy King’s victory in perspective.
Schwarz was plucked from obscurity for Fury to thrash to make him look sensational in front of an American audience.
He’s not the first no-hoper to be used as cannon fodder for one of the heavyweight division’s superstars and, unfortunately, he certainly won’t be the last.
It brings back memories of Jean-Pierre Coopman when he fought Ali 43 years ago.
He was so bad Ali leaned over the ropes at the end of the fourth and asked Howard Cosell, ABC TV’s commentator, if the network had managed to air all their commercials.
When Cosell assured him they had, Ali said: "That’s good because I can’t hold up this bum any longer."
FIRE AND FURY
We are promised Fury will meet someone ranked top-five in his next fight.
Don’t hold your breath.
The WBO elevated Schwarz to No 2 so it wouldn’t be a surprise if a governing body suddenly moved another stiff from No 50 to five overnight.
I’ve found a perfect fit. Tyrone Spong ticks all the boxes.
He is a Florida-based Dutchman who has beaten 13 nobodies, 12 by KO.
To ingratiate himself further with our American cousins, Fury walked into the Las Vegas ring wearing an Uncle Sam, Stars and Stripes outfit.
To continue the Yankee Doodle theme his promoters and BT should remember Abe Lincoln’s words.
He said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."