Rewind to earlier this week, and former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury was about as far away from training hard in a boxing gym as he could possibly have been. The 35-year-old was instead unable to stand as he splashed out of a bar in his hometown, this after having sunk “a few too many.” The footage proved to be a hit with the fans, and the blurred video was watched by many people.
Some fans were openly worried and concerned, fearing Fury had slipped back into the dark place he was in not too long after beating Wladimir Klitschko to become world champion. Others said there was nothing to worry about; Fury was simply letting off some steam and having a night out that perhaps went on a bit too long. Of course, nobody knows what’s going on in Fury’s mind, if there is reason to worry for him or not.
But now, Fury has broken his social media silence through a short message. Fury is back training in the gym – we hope seriously and in regularity ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk rematch even though it is still six months away (you can bet your last dollar Usyk is already training and preparing for the rematch) – as he announced.
“December is going to be my time. I’ve done everything in boxing, but I will come back for more. I will relish it and come back and redeem myself. December 21 is all me. Undisputed, here we come,” said Fury. “Listen up! I’ve conquered everything in boxing – titles, records, the lot. But I’ve never had to come back from a loss. On December 21st in Riyadh, in the heart of the kingdom, the king will reclaim his throne and become undisputed. @Usykaa, I’m coming for you! Get ready for the Gypsy King! The path to redemption is all mine. I know what I have to do, I saw my shortcomings and best believe I’m inevitable.”
There was no word from Fury about his drunken escapade. Still, if Fury is determined, hungry for redemption, and fully committed to training hard, hard, hard for the Usyk return, we should be in for another great fight. Usyk was too good on the night last month, with the immensely skilled Ukrainian southpaw having that commanding, indeed damaging ninth round. Can Fury come back from that? There were some good rounds for Fury, and plenty of pundits did have the fight close, as did the official judges.
But can Fury improve on his own shortcomings? You get the feeling there could be more to come from Usyk, a man who never slacks off in training or is ever truly satisfied with his last performance. December 21 is a long way away, and anything could happen: Can Fury stay off the booze? Will Fury be able to keep his weight down? Will Usyk add anything new to his training camp for the rematch? Will the rematch go ahead on the scheduled date without a hitch?
Again, six months can be a long time in boxing, but for now, Tyson Fury is where he should be ahead of this massive, career-defining fight – he is in the gym.
