Tyson Fury Vs Denis Boytsov

Update: Fight has been canceled.

Boytsov claimed he is not in shape to fight.

Tyson Fury takes his biggest risk to date by signing to fight one of the more decent up and coming heavyweight prospects to come through over the last few years. Whether Tyson Fury wins or loses, credit has to be given to him for taking this fight. Unbeaten Denis Boytsov is without doubt Fury's toughest fight so far, and it's a big step up in class for Fury, who has been fighting fairly low level opposition for a while. In all fairness Fury has only had 19 fights so we can't really expect him to take on the world just yet. However, a step up in opposition was due, and here it is. We could well see Tyson Fury get outclassed in this fight. Is this fight too big of a risk for Fury to be taking with less then 20 fights under his belt. We shall see. But with the chance of a world title shot in line for the winner it's a chance worth taking.

Tyson Fury is fortunate that this fight is taking place in Belfast, so he has home advantage. Fury will need every advantage possible in order for him to stand a chance of beating Boytsov. Going into this fight out of shape is a definite no no for Fury. He will need to be in better shape then he's ever been in before. Not only are two unbeaten records on the line, but this fight could lead to a real title shot against one of the Klitschko brothers so everything is up for grabs. It looks more likely that the winner will face Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title. Punch resistance is going to be a big issue for Tyson Fury in the fight. Boytsov has an 80% knockout ratio.

One advantage Tyson fury does have is his size. Boytsov is a small heavyweight, and even smaller in comparison to Fury. So this is Fury's biggest weapon and he must use it to full effect. He needs to use a Wladimir Klitschko style in order to win this fight. Use his jab and reach to keep the fight at a distance. Once the distance has been closed by Boytsov Fury is in danger of being knocked out. Boytsov can bang, and as we have seen in Tyson Fury's past fights he is very open to over hand punches and has been floored quite a few times against a level of opposition that doesn't even come close to the skill, power and precision of Denis Boytsov. If Boytsov floors Fury the fight could well be over. Denis Boytsov is a terrific finisher and does not let a hurt opponent off the hook. He may hang back and be patient in order to be careful, but he will viciously close the show when the opportunity presents itself.

Tyson Fury fans can only hope that Boytsov is out of his element fighting in Belfast and doesn't perform very well. This is very possible because most of his fights have been in Germany. None have been in the USA or UK. So this will be a new experience for Boytsov. How he performs being away from his adopted home of Germany, in front of a hostile crowd is yet to be seen. I get the feeling though that Boytsov will rise to the occasion. He seems very strong mentally and the type of guy that will be all business, far too focused on getting the win and securing a title shot then to be phased and not perform.

It should be a very good fight between a really big heavyweight with fast hands for his size, limited boxing skills, and a size and weight advantage over most of his opponents. Against a small heavyweight, who looked rather flat in his last fight against Dominick Guinn, and also out of his comfort zone fighting in Belfast, but with good boxing skills and big punching power.