After his recent win over the 39-year-old Wladimir Klitschko, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) has expressed interest in facing the 43-year-old Vitali Klitschko and now the 50-year-old Lennox Lewis. It’s unclear why Fury wants to take on some of the older heavyweights that once graced the sport of boxing, but it looks like Fury has dialed himself in to fighting the elder statesman in order to possibly get easy paydays.
We’re not exactly seeing Fury chomping at the bit to get at the younger heavyweights that are still in their prime.
“Lennox Lewis is a hater of Tyson Fury. He’s a jealous old man. He’s a jealous old man because I’m at the top of the world and he’s a has-been,” Fury said via MMA Hour to skysports.com. “He has been a world champion. Great for him. Whenever Lennox Lewis wants to come out of retirement, I’m here waiting for him. I’m the best fighter ever to come out of these shores.”
Lewis hasn’t fought in 12 years since wrapping up his career back in 2003 with a win over a prime Vitali Klitschko. Asking Lewis to come back to the ring after 12 years in retirement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because it’s not as if we’d see him able to fight at a high enough level to do much other than occasionally plant a big punch on Fury’s chin.
“I don’t care how old he is. If he’s that good, let him come back and beat George Foreman’s record,” Fury said about Lewis.
I’m not sure that Fury would be able to fight Lewis even if he wanted to, because he would have to be ranked in the top 15 in order for a fight between the two of them to be for one of Fury’s world titles.
Lewis replied back to Fury’s comments on his social media site, saying “But after hearing of the younger Fury’s latest outburst, Lewis posted on social media: “First the father. Now the son? My favorite meal is a two for one. #Unsquashed.”
Fury has a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko that will be taking place in the first half of 2016. That’s something that Fury should be putting his entire focus on because if he loses that fight, then there’s no point in him talking about wanting to fight the old lions of the sport like Lewis and Vitali Klitschko. It’s not a given that Fury will beat Wladimir a second time because their fight was very close and neither guy distinguished themselves in that fight. A lot of boxing fans felt that it was the worst heavyweight title fight ever.
