Tyson Fury, a 20-0 British heavyweight boxer, made waves last week when he called out brand new heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. After being largely met with smirks and chuckles, Fury is now setting his sights lower. Much lower. Much, much lower.
Tyson Fury is now talking to Bob Sapp. From Twitter:
@bobsappmma @tom_hkr hey bob let’s dance I remember when u called out mike Tyson’ try calling out Tyson fury& c wat happens!!
— Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) January 6, 2013
Bob Sapp is an old fan favorite, courtesy of his days fighting for the now-defunct Pride FC. There, at the legendary Pride Shockwave event, he fought Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and used his mammoth strength to literally throw around the 6’3″, 240-pound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist.
He would lose the fight via second-round armbar, but remained one of the most popular heavyweights in the promotion.
In the years since, however, he has become something of a running joke among MMA fans.
After starting his career 10-3-1, he has since gone 1-13, good for a woefully bad 11-16-1 record. He is currently riding a 10-fight losing streak with nine of those fights ending in the first round. Most fans view him as a fighter who puts no effort into training or preparation and is content in simply receiving a check to show up.
Regardless, this turn of events may mean that Fury is more serious about a move to MMA than initially intended.
Nobody, not even Fury himself, could realistically believe a fight between him and Velasquez was a serious possibility. Sapp, however, is a journeyman super-heavyweight who has been fighting actively throughout Europe in recent years. Such a bout could be made and happen overseas with little difficulty.
Still, don’t get too excited for a Fury MMA debut. His sights likely remain fixed on a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers, and this could all be a publicity play.
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