Warren: Wilder-Fury 2 Still On Track for February.
Well before Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (29-0-1, 20 KO’s) entered the MGM Grand to face Otto Wallin (20-1, 13 KO’s), the outcome was a foregone conclusion for most.
Wallin was an unknown Swedish fighter who commanded zero fan support or excitement. Similar to Fury’s previous opponent, Tom Schwarz, Wallin felt like he was selected at random from your local Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
In both instances, even Team Fury themselves said the biggest quality they were looking for was height. Both Wallin and Schwarz are tall fighters. During his up to bat, Schwarz was quickly outclassed and knocked out by a Gypsy King drenched in American apparel.
Wallin was expected to be stopped by Fury whilst draped in Mexican attire.
THE WALLIN CALAMITY
Unfortunately for Team Fury, Otto Wallin was not reading from the same script. Wallin moved very well in the opening rounds of the fight. He even resisted biting at the Gypsy King’s herky-jerky feints and attacked the body with great success. In the third round, disaster struck Fury.
While caught against the ropes, Fury was caught flush with a short, crisp hook that tore open a gaping cut on his right eye brow.
Before the fight’s conclusion, Wallin opened up another laceration on the lid of the same eye. It’s already a major talking point in boxing circles that if it were anyone else, the fight would have been stopped. The initial tear was truly gruesome and extreme.
“The bottom line of it is Tyson was struggling with seeing out of his left eye. There was a lot of blood there. The corner stopped it but then each time in between, during the round, you know, it bled quite freely […] obviously it was hampering his eye sight.
“He won the fight. He contained the fight, he did what he had to do.”
To his credit, after a few rounds of displaying overt discomfort, the Gypsy King dug deep and proved his toughness.
Around the midway point of the prizefight, the Swedish pugilist began to slow considerably. As a professional, Wallin had only seen the tenth and twelfth rounds once apiece.
His inexperience in the deep waters showed. In a savvy veteran move, Fury dedicated himself to a serious body attack as Wallin increasingly abandoned his.
SURVIVING THE STORM
Despite a scary moment in the final round when Fury was seriously buzzed, the Gypsy King did earn a legit victory over his virtually anonymous foe. Although, this fight will go a long way to bolster Otto Wallin’s career.
The trouble with that, this was supposed to be a showcase fight for Fury! It’s unlikely that Fury will take on any more tune-up fights before facing WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KO’s). During the post-fight interview, the Gypsy King loudly called out Wilder.
WILDER v FURY 2 STILL ON TRACK
The two fought to a controversial draw last December 1. Even though there was an available immediate rematch, Fury left it on the table. Hindsight has revealed that Team Fury saw it more prudent to face Schwarz and Wallin on ESPN.
Now, it would appear that Fury is done sidestepping the WBC champion. Some are wondering if the monstrous gash on Fury’s eye will be a factor in delaying the Wilder/Fury rematch. Promoter Frank Warren, of Queensberry Promotions, doesn’t believe so.
“The commission doctor said as much as they’re deep cuts and bad cuts, they’re not nasty cuts. They are cuts that can be stitched and heal fairly good.
“[…] they were talking about the Wilder fight that’ll hopefully be in February provided Wilder doesn’t get hurt or upset, and that’s five months away.
“So that’s five months in time to see how it all heals, and I think he’ll be alright.”
Outside of the cuts, the only thing that may derail their do-over, scheduled for February, is if Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-1, 26 KO’s) can upset Wilder.
Like Fury, the Bronze Bomber wanted to rematch Ortiz to clear up the controversy associated with their first outing.
Provided Wilder does beat King Kong for a second time, there should be no further obstacles obstructing the path for Wilder v Fury 2.
By: Bakari Simpson
