By Norm Frauenheim-
Tyson Fury is a little bit like an ex-American president. He stays in the headlines.
Fury has been there, loud and profane, throughout a week that should belong to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk’s rightful chance to celebrate his brilliant ascendancy to the top of the heavyweight division has been stolen, first by the fighter he beat and then by the fighter he wants to beat, all within six days.
Anthony Joshua grabbed the microphone moments after he lost a split decision to Usyk in a rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Joshua also tossed two championship belts out of the ring. They weren’t even his belts. They belonged to Usyk.
Somehow, Joshua thought he could trash somebody else’s property. Even Riddick Bowe knew better thirty years ago. In 1992, Bowe tossed the World Boxing Council’s belt into a garbage can in London. But it was Bowe’s belt to throw away. Ownership and sanctioning fees come with privileges. Bad behavior doesn’t.
Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is defending Joshua, asking for understanding. That’s his job. Still, I can’t help but think that Joshua might have faced more than just criticism if his tantrum had played out in New York or Las Vegas instead of Saudi Arabia. Boxing is the flip side to politically-correct. It’s hard to regulate behavior.
But if belts can be tossed out of the ring and into the crowd, what’s next? Stools and buckets? Hide the kids. If you’re seated in a ringside seat, wear a helmet.
A state Commission might issue some kind of censure, a warning to Joshua. But this was Saudi Arabia, a nation that is moving into boxing, golf and auto racing as a way to sports-wash — launder — its image. Nothing new about it. It’s been around since the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Boxing, however, is a risky way to get anything clean. The sport is a collection of great moments and Godfather moments. Still, it generates headlines and money. Enter Fury.
Within hours after Joshua’s tantrum, Fury was at the bully pulpit. He slammed Usyk’s victory, saying ad nauseam that he’s ready to come out of retirement. He’ll fight, he promises, only for half-a-billion. It’s not clear whether he’s talking about pounds or dollars.
Whatever the currency, it’s astronomical, big enough to be prohibitive. Maybe, that’s the idea. I’ve long thought that Fury’s retirement is just more hot air from a gasbag looking for more attention.
But an impossible demand is one way for Fury to say no to the Usyk possibility. He repeated it Wednesday via social media.
“Hi guys, to all out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days — till the 1st of September, to come up with the money,” Fury said on Instagram. “If not, thank you very much. It’s been a blast. I’m retired.”
In a second post, he says, “Also, guys, I forgot to say, all the offers submitted must be to my lawyer, Robert Davies, in writing and with proof of funds. So, let the games begin.”
Safe to say, the head games are already well underway.
At today’s inflation rate, there’s no telling how much Fury’s half-a-bill will be worth. How ever many zeroes, it figures to be more than anyone will be willing to pay. Reportedly, the Saudis paid $150 million for the rights to Usyk-Joshua 2, a rematch of a Usyk victory in the UK about a year ago.
For as long as Fury’s demand makes the fight impossible, he can stay in the headlines with noise mocking Usyk. He calls him a “middleweight.” He says nobody knows who he is. He says he can’t pronounce his name. The lousy lounge act continues. Some of it is funny.
He told talkSPORT that he knows the Saudis have the money.
“They offered Tiger Woods $1 billion,’’ Fury said of the Saudi attempt to get Woods to join LIV Golf.
Then, he dismissed Usyk’s punching power.
“He couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding,’’ Fury said.
But talk won’t beat the unbeaten Usyk. There’s no doubt that the much-bigger Fury is the only fight Usyk wants.
“If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all,’’ he said while standing in the middle of a chaotic ring following his victory over Joshua.
Usyk also didn’t criticize Joshua. He stood there like a parent, watching Joshua with a look that was a mix of exasperation and disapproval. Joshua was more toddler than ex-heavyweight champ. It was hard not to cringe. But Usyk kept his poise, a great champion and a serious man. He has bigger fights. He returns to Ukraine and resumes the deadly fight against the Russians.
He’s a grown-up.
The heavyweight division could use one.
