Why we may be waiting over a year for Tyson Furys true comeback
When Tyson Fury steps into the ring on Saturday night it will have been two years, six months and 12 days since his superb performance in Dusseldorf against Wladimir Klitschko .
Thats 132 weeks or 22,176 hours without the heavyweight we suspect is one of the greats of his division in the modern era.
If were judging the fighter purely on his fight record, Fury has been perfect with 25 wins, 18 knockouts and zero defeats. If were judging a fighter off his last fight, then Fury is a sublime example of the purest form of boxing in a division that is often more smash than science.
The heavyweight division has sorely missed the character and brilliance of Fury, but we should be careful celebrating his return at this juncture.
Furys absence has been as a result of his own demons and the UK Anti-Dopings snail-pace investigation process which resulted in Fury serving a back-dated doping ban.
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The British Boxing Board of Control confirmed in December that Furys ban was due to the fact he tested positive for androlone metabolites in February 2015 and refused to provide a sample in September 2016.
We did not expect, though, to see such a charismatic and passionate man fall victim to depression. Athletes deal with an incredible amount of pressure and with every eye in boxing on the unified heavyweight champion of the world, Furys mind, understandably, could not cope.
It is a sign of incredible strength that Fury has come back from where he was in late 2016. He admitted to testing positive for cocaine as well as suffering from depression, and was subsequently stripped of his titles by the governing bodies. It would be another year before Fury returned to regular training again.
At his heaviest, Fury says he was over 27 stone. The scales read 19 stone and 10 pounds on Friday at the weigh-ins. Coupling the mental and physical obstacles he had to face, Fury has been to hell and back to be able square off against Sefer Seferi at the Manchester Arena.
That should be celebrated and admired, but there is another war on the horizon for Fury. As his coach Ben Davison said, Tyson can only beat himself.
Seferi is a soft return, hes not even a heavyweight. Twenty three of his 24 fights have been at cruiserweight. This weekend will be a celebration of Furys determination to get back into the ring, but not his return to the top. Fury may elect to go the distance with Seferi to put some rounds in the bank, but really with a remarkable height, reach, size and pure talent advantage, Fury can decide when and how to end the fight.
Its less of a challenge and more of a kicking his engine into gear, shaking off the dust and getting resettled under the lights. It will be a massive personal achievement and an emotional moment for his family who thought they may never see him fight again.
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But I want to see Tyson Fury fight the best. Fans crave match-ups with Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. Many believe Fury will rule the division again, he has a lot of unfinished business to attend to. He may be serious now about returning to the top, but it will be another year before we can hope for Fury to fight one of the top dogs.
Tyson Fury comeback odds
Tyson Fury win 1/500
Draw 50/1
Sefer Seferi 25/1
In that year he should have three fights, three training camps and endless pleas from his promoter and trainer to gradually ease himself back in. It will require patience and Fury will need to be focused solely on the end goal. His mental and physical self will again be tested, he will surely suffer disappointment and set-backs in that time.
The next 12 months will be Furys ceremonial comeback, but he wont truly be back until he steps in to challenge for the world titles he once owned. Ill celebrate Furys return when he fights an elite heavyweight.
Because thats what Fury is, judging from his last fight and his unblemished career – hes an elite heavyweight champion. If he can get back to that level, it will be a remarkable comeback story and a fitting tribute to the fighter he once was and may well be again.
Metro.co.uk is reporting live from Manchester in association with Betfair, you can find all the odds for the Tyson Fury fight and more here.
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