On Friday fight night a grudge match of heavyweight proportions will be settled when Tyson Fury faces John McDermott in their much anticipated Essex rematch.
The vacant English title may be on the line but that will mean nothing to these men, they’d do it for free in a car park if need be, such is the extent of bad blood between the pair.
The British heavyweight division is in a period of transition, evident in this battle as the old school style of McDermott, with his low work rate and high power, meets the flashy footwork and athleticism of Fury. This one could mould the direction of the domestic division for years to come!
If justice had been done John McDermott would be current British champion at the very least. Twice I witnessed him batter Danny Williams, once in 2008 then a year later, only to be edged out on an unfair majority then split decision. He then contested the English title with rising star Tyson Fury only to be robbed blind in front of the Sky cameras. There are very few beaten fighters who will admit to being totally outclassed, such is their pride, but referee Terry O’Connor’s 98-92 ruling in Fury’s favour that night was a disgrace. It brought gasps from the crowd, made Fury blush and the rush of blood to McDermott’s head had nothing to do with embarrassment.
That decision alone should pave the way for modernisation in this age old sport. Every contest should be adjudicated by three qualified judges sat at ringside, as in major title fights. One man can’t be trusted to play referee, doctor, bouncer and judge all at the same time, especially when the livelihood of two hard working men is at stake. Without the brave fighters themselves we have no sport and the money men should remember that. The current technique is dated, it’s an embarrassment and I know for certain that it is chasing potential fans away.
John McDermott has every right to be annoyed as those three negative decisions have cost him a fortune in potential earnings. The 6ft 3inch orthodox, nicknamed ‘Big Bad’ should have the desire to show all what he is made of, but such shoddy treatment could also break the man’s heart. The 30 year old may be disgusted by his chosen occupation. Could you pull yourself out of bed at 6am on a miserable morning to go running for a meagre pay after being slapped in the face three times on the spin? We will have to wait and see how the man from Basildon will react but Sporting Bet think he is better off at home, pricing the 31 fight veteran up as a 5/2 second favourite. A brave call indeed by the Moorgate outfit.
Tyson Fury is one of the new kids on the block looking to shake up a weight class which has been labelled boring for far too long now. Born into a travelling family, the 22 year old represented both England and Ireland in the amateurs before taking a step into the pro game to great effect. Fury talks a great fight but so far he has backed it up. He loves earning money and has been one of the most active fighters in the country until a broken hand, suffered in a win over Tomas Mrazek, forced him out. In the last meeting between these two, Fury went off as firm favourite but found himself outmuscled and bullied by the more experienced man and was lucky to get out of the ring in one piece.
His frailties as a fighter weren’t exposed that September evening in Brentwood, he just looked like an over matched novice – because that’s what he was. He wasn’t ready for the step up from Aleksandrs Selezens’ 6 defeats from 9 outings to McDermott and his 25 career wins and he was almost made to pay the ultimate price.
That night, and the stick he took, meant nothing to Fury however and he was back in the ring only fifteen days later against Mrazek in Ireland. The resulting hand injury kept him out for six months, a lifetime by his standards, but the Manchester man returned in March to halt German Hans-Joerg Blasko in a round. That win took Tyson’s record to 10 wins, 8 by KO against no defeats and he enters this rematch no bigger than the 4/9 with 888.sport.
McDermott has never been the perfect pro, he is more often than not lumping around excess weight and he doesn’t budge his head for love nor money. Fury is learning all the time whilst John can’t and won’t change his style, so another points win for the youngster seems worthwhile at 13/8 (Bet Fred).
One thing that McDermott does have going for him though is that he is hard as nails with courage to spare and I don’t see him going the way of so many of Fury’s opponents and falling early.
Five of John’s last six have travelled the distance so Boylesports 4/7 offering about this one going beyond 7.5 rounds really does look inviting.
There will be plenty of better heavyweight contests to look forward to but for fans of the domestic fight game, this clash will be one to remember.
