The Boxing Round-Up: Tyson Fury, Juan Francisco Estrada, Daniel Dubois And More

All the big stories from a busy weekend in the squared circle
10:00, 05 Dec 2022

Tyson Fury Calls Out Everyone

WBC champion Tyson Fury eased to another victory over Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night. For the second time in successive fights against one another, ‘The Gypsy King’ stopped ‘Del Boy’ in ten rounds. The uncomfortably one-sided victory didn’t give us any information we didn’t already know. Fury is a supremely gifted heavyweight and Chisora should probably retire for the good of his health.

The real intrigue was on show after the fight. WBA/IBF/WBO/The Ring champion Oleksandr Usyk and top contender Joe Joyce were both called out by Fury in the aftermath. The victorious champion even suggested a Royal Rumble involving all three. Well, Fury is a part-time WWE wrestler after all.

Boxing fans will pray the Usyk fight is next for Fury. Sidestepping the undisputed title fight at this stage could be fatal to his reputation. Boxing has waited long enough for a true heavyweight superfight. Even if the WBC is offering Deontay Wilder as a lamb to the slaughter, or Anthony Joshua’s hat is thrown into the ring again, Fury must resist. His legacy needs an Usyk fight to be truly secure. Boxing needs the fight to sustain itself after a difficult year in which big fights have collapsed with alarming frequency.

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Daniel Dubois Victory Is Criticised

WBA ‘regular’ champion Daniel Dubois retained his title with a third-round TKO of Kevin Lerena in the chief support to Fury/Chisora III. On paper, the result reads like the victory most expected when the fight was announced. But the bout didn’t play out according to the script.

Lerena knocked Dubois down three times in the opening round. While the WBA’s three-knockdown rule was not in effect, overruled by the British Boxing Board of Control’s own laws, what happened next was outside the rules. The round drew to a close nine seconds early, bailing Dubois out at a crucial time.

There was some consternation over how the fight finished. Many fans believed Lerena should not have been withdrawn by the official because the bell had rung to end the round. But BBBoC rules stipulate a fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round. 

This series of controversial events, some legal and some less so, served to dampen the mood around Dubois’ win. Already playing catch-up to the cream of British heavyweights, this unconvincing night’s work won’t have helped his case.

Estrada And ‘Chocolatito’ Go To The Wire Again

Fury/Chisora was not the only trilogy to reach its conclusion on Saturday. Hours after the WBC heavyweight title fight ended, Juan Francisco Estrada beat rival Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez via majority decision to win the WBC super flyweight title. 

Estrada, who also retained his The Ring title, once again had to work hard against a man with whom he has become synonymous. One of the great modern trilogies, their third outing was as close and exciting as the first two. 

Both men expressed a willingness for a fourth meeting in the aftermath. Given how gripping and hotly-contested their trilogy has been, there will be few boxing fans turning their noses up at another go-round.

Josh Kelly Wins British Title

2016 Olympian Josh Kelly had been written off by many. His 2021 defeat to David Avanesyan saw him unfairly labelled as lacking the gas tank for championship-length pro fights. Well, next weekend Avanesyan goes in with Terence Crawford, one of the best fighters on the planet. Kelly, meanwhile, will be looking on with the British super welterweight title resting on his shoulder.

‘Pretty Boy’ bowled the perfect game against the teak-tough Troy Williamson, not allowing the champion to get near him. It was a virtuoso display of measured attack and defence, as Kelly chipped away at his man before increasing the tempo with hard uppercuts. The unanimous decision in his favour was never in doubt. Now, neither are his credentials.

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