WBC World Heavyweight title holder Deontay Wilder could be set to face Hughie Fury in a voluntary defence later this year.
The “Bronze Bomber” boasts an unblemished record with 32 stoppage wins from 33 fights but is yet to really set the boxing world alight due to his opponents in all honesty, not being that good.
But according to many reports and Fury’s trainer Peter, the American’s team have pitched an offer to Hughie Fury – cousin of Tyson Fury for the chance to become heavyweight champion of the world in only his 17th professional fight.
20 year-old Hughie who stands at 198cm (6ft 6″), has knocked out 8 of his 16 opponents and from what he has shown so far there is massive potential. For a man of that size he is surprisingly quick on his feet and uses his lengthy jab to set up impressive combinations which will definitely cause the “Bronze Bomber” plenty of problems. Fury may be lacking that knockout power which Wilder has but if he boxes smartly there is no reason why he can’t be the first man to beat the WBC Heavyweight champion.
FAMILY FORTUNES?: TYSON FURY (RIGHT) AND HUGHIE FURY (LEFT) BOTH COULD INHERIT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS BY THE END OF 2015.
Those who have seen Hughie box will know that this fight is a huge risk for Wilder to take, with very little reward for him on the other side if he successfully defends his belt. So with this being said, what could a victory against Hughie do for his career?
It could spark more of a rivalry with heavyweight rival Tyson Fury. Tyson is set to fight Wladimir Klitschko in October and if he wins, a unification fight next summer against Deontay will be more personal assuming Wilder beats his younger cousin Hughie. And we all know that genuine rivalries capture the public’s imagination generating more interest and most importantly for boxers of this generation – more money.
A part from that reason, it is very difficult for me to see why Deontay would choose Hughie as his voluntary defence. If this fight can be made, the Fury camp will no doubt be elated and will be looking to expose the weaknesses they have seen in Wilder’s career to date.
Brian Rose will look to avenge his controversial first round defeat to Carson Jones this weekend when the pair meet for a rematch on the “Rumble on the Humber” undercard.
The 30 year-old from Blackpool was hit with a major setback on his road to a second world title shot in February earlier this year when referee Ian John-Lewis stopped the bout deeming “The Lion” in no state to continue to the astonishment of the Blackpool crowd.
However Rose has put the frustration and anger behind him now and is very confident of redeeming the loss. When speaking with Sky Sports Brian said:
“I’m not going to blame the referee any more I am just going to blame myself, take it as a mistake and look forward to beating Carson Jones. I am just grateful I’ve got another chance.
“I am going to put Carson Jones to bed and move on. I know all fighters say it but I am 100 per cent sure that I am going to knock Carson Jones out.”
Dejected: Rose left stunned by referee Ian John-Lewis’s decision to stop the fight. Credit: Lawrence Lustig
Before the stoppage, Brian was controlling the fight and looked very comfortable against the American who has won 37 of his 50 professional bouts. I expect Rose to start in the same manner in the rematch on Saturday night but he will be well aware that Carson has the power to trouble him. My prediction? Rose will win this with a clear stoppage in the first half of the bout.
Luke Campbell MBE and Tommy “Boom Boom” Coyle will fight in an official WBC World Lightweight title eliminator at the KC Lightstream Stadium, Hull on Saturday night.
The event billed as “Rumble on the Humber” has been highly anticipated by the people of Hull for a long time now and the rivalry will finally be settled live on Sky Sports.
Luke and Tommy have sparred many rounds together with the Olympic Gold Medallist from the London 2012 games winning most of them according to opponent Coyle. This will come as no surprise to anybody though, Campbell has looked the much more impressive boxer in both men’s professional career to date. The fight that comes to mind that backs up my point is Campbell versus Daniel Brizuela. Campbell demolished Brizuela needing only 5 rounds to get his victory in comparison to Coyle who was dropped four times by the Argentinian before climbing off the canvas to get a twelfth round stoppage in front of the Hull faithful.
But let’s give Tommy credit for doing that. He has shown tremendous amounts of courage in his 23 professional fight career to date though I think “Boom Boom” will need much more than just courage to get the victory over his local rival Campbell.
UNPHASED: CAMPBELL (LEFT) AND COYLE (RIGHT) STARE OFF AT ST PAUL’S ABC. CREDIT: SKY SPORTS
One man who may have the recipe for victory in this fight is Tommy’s trainer, Jamie Moore. The Salford born trainer was known for his aggressive approach in the ring. In 2006 Moore thought Matthew Macklin in a “fight of the year” contender so he will have conjured up a plan to suit Tommys gung-ho style to try and lure Campbell into a war and not let the undefeated lightweight prospect settle into his slick and accurate style of boxing.
Saturday night will be a historic moment for Hull with both men believing that their city will not see a contest of this magnitude for a very long time. Though from an outsider looking in, I can only see this fight going one way – a stoppage victory for Luke.
From what I have seen so far, Campbell has the tools to become a world champion. His accurate jab followed up by his power punches have been admired by all and I just think he is levels ahead of Tommy. This fight is definitely another step up in class for Luke but I fully expect him to deal with it comfortably and move up pass domestic level and begin looking at the likes of Perez and Jorge Linares as tough but winnable contests in the next couple of years.
Anthony Joshua – branded by many as “The saviour of the heavyweight division.” However at the back-end of this calendar year he comes up against two other undefeated British heavyweights, Gary Cornish and well publicised rival Dillian Whyte.
So far for AJ, he has made light-work of all his 13 opponents stopping them all within 3 rounds so it is no shock he has gathered lots of fans and a big reputation along the way. However the gold medallist from the London 2012 Olympic Games is now wanting title fights only from now on and the commonwealth title is up for grabs when he faces Scotland’s Gary Cornish on September 12th, a man who for the first time in Anthony’s professional career will stand taller than him.
HEAVY DUTY: Joshua and Cornish met earlier this week to announce their Commonwealth Title fight.
Well this seems more like it you’re probably thinking! Someone who looks like he will come to fight and will test AJ’s chin something we have not yet seen on his conquest to dominate the heavyweight division.
Cornish comes into the bout also undefeated winning 16 of his 21 professional fights by stoppages. Like Anthony’s, there are no real stand out names on his record but you can only beat what is put in front of you, right?
One thing you have to admire about Gary is that he has taken the fight against his manager’s wishes. Tommy Gilmour, Cornish’s manager, said when speaking to the BBC: “If he had listened to me, I would like to have seen it happening in 2016.
“But the fighter himself talked me into the fight as he said he wanted it because he wants to be the first to beat Anthony Joshua.”
Very few in the heavyweight division would be willing to risk their undefeated record against Joshua and that will be something AJ is well aware of. With that being said, Gary will be well aware of that too. Anthony recently became the first man to stop American Kevin Johnson who subsequently retired after the devastating TKO proved Joshua carries real power that looks like it can trouble anybody.
The fight branded as “Heavy Duty” should well live up to its name. With both men having knock-outs on their record, we should be in for an explosive finish.
WHERE: o2 Arena, London
WHEN: September 12th 2015
PREDICTION: AJ KO 5th Round
A bout yet to be confirmed but almost certain to happen by the end of the year or at the very latest the start of 2016 is Anthony versus Dillian Whyte. Whyte, who has recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport beat Joshua in the amateurs and their rivalry has been bitter ever since with Whyte making it public knowledge that he does not like the Olympic Gold Medallist.
Whyte’s career was previously put on hold after he tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA) on the 13th of October 2012 after his victory over Hungary’s Sandor Balogh.
The ban was upheld in 2013 and Whyte still remains undefeated stopping 11 of his 13 opponents.
Now firmly back on track, he has a chance to showcase his skills live back on Sky Sports against Irineu Beato Costa Junior on the undercard of the highly anticipated bout next Saturday between Luke Campbell and Tommy Coyle.
Assuming he gets through that, it will set up the fight with Joshua for the winter nicely and the contenders will be more than likely fighting for the British Heavyweight title something both are desperately wanting to hold.
CONFIDENT: Whyte reiterating on Ringside that he truly believes he can beat AJ again. CREDIT: SKY SPORTS
When they both met in the amateurs, it was clear to see the British men were novices. More of a street fight than a boxing masterclass, but Whyte got the victory and it will probably be a psychological advantage over AJ.
As the professionals always say though, the amateurs is nothing like the professional game. Both boxers have improved massively but more so Anthony in my opinion. Nevertheless that’s not to say Dillian should be dismissed. His victories have been arguably as impressive as his domestic foe and he has promised that he will be looking for a knockout when the pair eventually meet suggesting Whyte truly believes he can beat Joshua again.
There are many things which make this contest very interesting. How will Joshua cope with the build-up? Will he keep his cool? Does the amateur defeat to Whyte still bother him? Is Joshua really the saviour?
After these two fights, we will have an even better clue if Anthony Joshua can live up to the publics and boxing world’s high expectations. One thing is for certain though, it’s going to be very enjoyable finding out!
Media Murphy 
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