Tyson Fury looking slow hitting water-bag

Boxingnews24.com

By Tim Royner:

Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is trying to get in shape in training in Marbella with WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders. The fighters took turns hitting a big water bag in the gym, and Fury is looking slow and weak in comparison to Saunders. Fury looked like he was winded each time he threw combinations. That’s not a good sign obviously. Fury will need to be able to throw punches without gassing out so badly.

Fury looks like he’s at least 6 months away from being ready to fight the top level guys in the heavyweight division.

It’s nice that the 29-year-old Fury is getting in shape, and looking like he’s not too far away from being at his best weight. There were a lot of doubters out there who opined that Fury wouldn’t get back down to the 250s again. After a few months of hard training, Fury looks like he’s going to have all that weight off soon and be ready to go in April or May. Fury needs 4 or 5 good fights before he can be in the kind of shape needed for him to mix it up with IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs).

The unbeaten Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is still trying to trim the weight off to get down to his best weight in the low 250s, but he’s going to need to speed and punching power for him to have a chance of beating Joshua and WBC champ Deontay Wilder. Those guys are a lot faster and more powerful than Fury is looking right now.

Fury’s 2-years out of the ring seem to have done something to his hand speed. He’s really slow right now in a way that suggests that he might not ever be fast again. I don’t know that it’s the inactivity that has robbed Fury of his speed. It might be more of him getting older. When fighters get into their 30s, they lose speed. Fury probably would have lost his speed anyway.

”Training going great, #THEMACISBACK. 2018 is mine if the so called champs don’t run from the king 👑,” said Fury.

Fury’s lack of punching power is going to be a problem if he tries to stand and fight with Joshua or Wilder. He needs to come up with a strategy to avoid getting hit by those guys. The movement that Fury used in his fight with Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 might be the best and only way for him to be able to possibly beat those fighters. Fury is not going to be able to fight them and beat either with his lack of power.

Fury training next to Saunders makes him look worse than he actually is. Saunders has a little bit of speed, so he’s naturally going to make Fury look bad in comparison.

On Wednesday, Fury challenged Joshua to face him in his first fight back following his 2-year layoff.
Here’s what Fury said:

”As a sporting challenge I Lay Down the challenge for @anthonyfjoshua to fight me in my first fight back in over 2.5 years! I’m the best heavyweight on the planet come prove I’m not? The ball is in your court don’t let your fans down CHAMP👍🏼👊🏼 #wanttoseehowgoodiam.”