Many consider Tyson Fury to be the best heavyweight boxer in the world and rightfully so.
Fury, who returns to the ring later tonight (Sat., June 15, 2019) live on ESPN+ from inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, against German heavyweight Tom Schwarz, is one of the most puzzling strikers in all of boxing today. His ability to dissect opponents and keep them guessing with his awkward entries is second to none.
This was never more true when Fury met fellow undefeated heavyweight king Deontay Wilder last December. The two men went toe-to-toe in a classic 12-round heavyweight affair before drawing even on the scorecards. “Gypsy King” seemed to be getting the best of Wilder before a big knockdown by “Bronze Bomber” in the later rounds leveled the playing field.
Despite fighting Wilder to a draw, that fight brought Fury’s status as the best heavyweight in the world to a new level. Just ask UFC president and avid boxing enthusiast Dana White, who recently discussed Ring Magazine’s placement of Fury as the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in boxing.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say that I disagree with that you know (ranking Tyson Fury as the top heavyweight),” White told BT Sport (shown above). “He looked great in the Wilder fight. Wilder crushed him with that shot he hit him with and he actually got back up which is crazy.
“When Wilder hits people they don’t get back up. He actually did. That Wilder-Tyson fight is a fun fight. Yeah, I’d say he, (Fury) is number one right now. It would be tough to not call him number one.”
Some might lean in the direction of Wilder, who currently holds an unscathed professional record of 41-0-1 (40 KOs) and coming off a first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale, but it was the work of Fury during their December clash that seems to be sticking out the most.
White would go on to agree that Wilder should be No. 2 in front of Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua, but remained adamant that “Gypsy King” currently leads the pack.
Things could change later tonight, though, if Schwarz is able to pull off a huge upset as a +1000 underdog and hand Fury his first career loss. It’s a very unlikely scenario, but after Joshua’s TKO loss to Ruiz Jr. earlier this month anything seems possible right now.