British heavyweight Tyson Fury has announced that he has signed a deal with boxing promoter Frank Warren and his long-awaited return to the sport will take place on 9th June at Manchester Arena. It will be the 29 year-old’s first professional fight since dethroning the great Wladimir Klitschko in Düsseldorf nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
Fury recently accepted a backdated two-year ban for drug use and has battled depression in his time away from the sport, but he’s now back and ready to kick-start a career that many thought was already dead in the water.
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He has expressed an interest in fighting the current king of the heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua. However, Warren will want Fury to avoid any ‘big-names’ in his first few fights as his new man will need to ease himself back into the sport after such a lengthy absence.
Here are six potential opponents for Fury’s comeback fight on 9th June:
Shannon Briggs (60-6-1)
Briggs is actually a fairly ‘big-name’ in the world of boxing but, at the grand old age of 46, his peak years are long gone.
The American, nicknamed ‘The Cannon’ and famous for his catchphrase ‘let’s go, champ!’, has a CV that is enough to leave anyone lost for words. It contains a title triumph over the legendary George Foreman, which was just one of his staggering 60 wins in a long and illustrious career. He was even once touted as a potential successor to Mike Tyson because of his fierce, powerful punches and big, exciting knockouts.
Similarities can be drawn between Briggs and Fury, considering the Brooklyn-born fighter has also been out of the sport for a long while. He has not fought since a round one knockout of Emilio Zarate on David Haye’s undercard in May 2016.
He has recently served a six-month suspension from the WBA for taking performance-enhancing drugs, battled with mental health problems in the past and is, like Fury, aiming to rise from the ashes to prove his doubters wrong.
Briggs is 6ft4 with a reach of 203cm which means that Fury, who is 6ft9 and has a reach of 206cm, would have a sizeable advantage in that department. But with Briggs’ experience and power, you could never truly rule him out of any fight.
He recently revealed that Fury has been texting him about a possible fight and he may well provide ‘The Gypsy King’ with an interesting, entertaining but definitely winnable first fight back.
Kevin Johnson (42-9-1)
Johnson, also known as ‘Kingpin’, is another vastly experienced fighter at 38 years-old, that will be seeking an opportunity to show what he is capable of in front of a large audience again.
It would be a rematch with Fury for the 6”3 American with a reach of 208cm and an orthodox stance, having fought ‘The Gypsy King’ once before in 2012. It was a tough fight for Fury that went all the way to end before a unanimous decision eventually handed the British boxer the victory. He went on to describe Johnson as a “world-class fighter” that “makes you miss” with his speed and movement.
The ‘Kingpin’ has gone on to lose most of his fights since his 12-round battle with Fury, which has included a second-round knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2015. His most recent bout was this year and it was yet another loss, as a gash over his left-eye proved to be costly against young heavyweight Peter Milas in March.
Johnson is 6ft3 with a reach of 208cm, which means Fury would tower over the American should they get in the ring together. Added to this Johnson’s questionable recent record and Fury’s previous knowledge of him, it be wouldn’t be unfair to assume that this would be a relatively straightforward victory for Fury.
Although, Johnson’s speed, movement and most vitally, experience, may provide Fury with an intriguing challenge in his return to the boxing ring.
Nick Webb (12-0-0)
Webb doesn’t have anywhere near the level of experience that Briggs and Johnson would bring to the table, with just 12 professional fights on his record. But despite a limited number of professional fights, he holds an impressive 100% win record, knocking out 10 of his opponents.
The Chertsey-born boxer has recently made his own return to the ring after roughly twelve months away from the sport due to cancelled fights, boxing politics and a shoulder injury. In his first fight back, it looked as if he’d never been away and produced an explosive one-punch knockout of Ante Verunica in the second round. This showcased one of his biggest and most impressive attributes; his power.
He would surely relish the chance to show what he is capable of against a high-calibre fighter in Fury having once described him as “the best heavyweight we have”.
At 6ft5, Webb would suffer a height and reach disadvantage on Fury and his lack of experience in the big fights may well mean that a battle with ‘The Gypsy King’ would be a step too far for the 30-year old at this stage of his career.
Webb has remained among the top-end of the bookies’ odds list since Fury made the announcement about his return, so there still might be a chance of his one going ahead.
Gary Cornish (25-2-0)
Cornish, a proud 31 year-old Scotsman also known as ‘Highlander’, has power in his punch and, on the surface, holds a respectable-looking record with 25 wins and two defeats. However, his downfalls came on the two occasions when he was presented with an opportunity to shine on the big stage.
He battled Sam Sexton for the British heavyweight title last year and, despite a valiant and spirited attempt, lost out as all three judges decided that he was outboxed by Sexton. He is also a victim of Anthony Joshua, having lasted only 89 seconds of the first round in the biggest test of his career in September 2015.
‘Highlander’ is not as tall as Fury but is still a giant at 6ft7, so there is not much in it in terms of height and reach. However, Cornish’s previous attempts at competing with top-level heavyweights has not gone according to plan so, if this fight does go ahead, Fury should be able to win comfortably and perhaps a slightly tougher would be more beneficial in his returning bout.
Alexander Povetkin (34-1-0)
Povetkin is fresh from his explosive and gruesome knockout of Englishman David Price last month and, despite looking set for a mandatory bout with Joshua in the not too distant future, could well contest a fascinating fight with Fury before that is made possible.
Povetkin’s only defeat as a professional boxer was suffered against the legendary Wladimir Klitschko, who was famously defeated by Fury in his most recent fight. This was his only step out into the major spotlight but has impressive victories on his record against Romanian Christian Hammer, who has held the WBA European title twice, and Carlos Takam, who performed valiantly in a recent bout with Joshua.
In what has been an era of super-heavyweights, Povetkin has enjoyed some success as an averagely sized fighter for the division at 6ft2 with a reach of just 190cm. He has proven over the years that he’s a decent boxer with a rock-hard chin, a tactical brain and power and venom in his punch.
A Povetkin-Fury dual would be a tactical battle between two talented fighters. However, it’s one that is fairly unlikely to go ahead on 9th June as Povetkin would prove a more difficult challenge than Fury and his team are looking for on his first fight back. It wouldn’t be surprising to see these two fight it out next year, though.
Sefer Seferi (23-1-0)
Seferi, nicknamed ‘The Real Deal’, is currently the surprise favourite with the bookies to be heading to Manchester on 9th June to battle it out with Fury for his first ever bout on British soil.
The Albanian is the brother of fellow boxer Nuri Seferi and has spent most of his career as a cruiserweight. He holds an impressive record in that division and picked up the WBF Intercontinental belt last year by defeating former champion Marcelo Ferreira dos Santos, who hadn’t lost a fight in 10 years prior. He faced his only big test in 2016 when he fought the vastly experienced Manuel Charr for the WBA international heavyweight title, but was defeated by the Lebanon-born pugilist in the tenth round.
It would be a huge step up in class for a fighter that, at 39 years of age, still hasn’t gone up against a great deal of quality in a career that’s largely been contested in the cruiserweight division. Fury is big, tall, powerful and would surely be too much for Seferi.
Fury recently accepted a backdated two-year ban for drug use and has battled depression in his time away from the sport, but he’s now back and ready to kick-start a career that many thought was already dead in the water.
Embed from Getty Images
He has expressed an interest in fighting the current king of the heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua. However, Warren will want Fury to avoid any ‘big-names’ in his first few fights as his new man will need to ease himself back into the sport after such a lengthy absence.
Here are six potential opponents for Fury’s comeback fight on 9th June:
Shannon Briggs (60-6-1)
Briggs is actually a fairly ‘big-name’ in the world of boxing but, at the grand old age of 46, his peak years are long gone.
The American, nicknamed ‘The Cannon’ and famous for his catchphrase ‘let’s go, champ!’, has a CV that is enough to leave anyone lost for words. It contains a title triumph over the legendary George Foreman, which was just one of his staggering 60 wins in a long and illustrious career. He was even once touted as a potential successor to Mike Tyson because of his fierce, powerful punches and big, exciting knockouts.
Similarities can be drawn between Briggs and Fury, considering the Brooklyn-born fighter has also been out of the sport for a long while. He has not fought since a round one knockout of Emilio Zarate on David Haye’s undercard in May 2016.
He has recently served a six-month suspension from the WBA for taking performance-enhancing drugs, battled with mental health problems in the past and is, like Fury, aiming to rise from the ashes to prove his doubters wrong.
Briggs is 6ft4 with a reach of 203cm which means that Fury, who is 6ft9 and has a reach of 206cm, would have a sizeable advantage in that department. But with Briggs’ experience and power, you could never truly rule him out of any fight.
He recently revealed that Fury has been texting him about a possible fight and he may well provide ‘The Gypsy King’ with an interesting, entertaining but definitely winnable first fight back.
Kevin Johnson (42-9-1)
Johnson, also known as ‘Kingpin’, is another vastly experienced fighter at 38 years-old, that will be seeking an opportunity to show what he is capable of in front of a large audience again.
It would be a rematch with Fury for the 6”3 American with a reach of 208cm and an orthodox stance, having fought ‘The Gypsy King’ once before in 2012. It was a tough fight for Fury that went all the way to end before a unanimous decision eventually handed the British boxer the victory. He went on to describe Johnson as a “world-class fighter” that “makes you miss” with his speed and movement.
The ‘Kingpin’ has gone on to lose most of his fights since his 12-round battle with Fury, which has included a second-round knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2015. His most recent bout was this year and it was yet another loss, as a gash over his left-eye proved to be costly against young heavyweight Peter Milas in March.
Johnson is 6ft3 with a reach of 208cm, which means Fury would tower over the American should they get in the ring together. Added to this Johnson’s questionable recent record and Fury’s previous knowledge of him, it be wouldn’t be unfair to assume that this would be a relatively straightforward victory for Fury.
Although, Johnson’s speed, movement and most vitally, experience, may provide Fury with an intriguing challenge in his return to the boxing ring.
Nick Webb (12-0-0)
Webb doesn’t have anywhere near the level of experience that Briggs and Johnson would bring to the table, with just 12 professional fights on his record. But despite a limited number of professional fights, he holds an impressive 100% win record, knocking out 10 of his opponents.
The Chertsey-born boxer has recently made his own return to the ring after roughly twelve months away from the sport due to cancelled fights, boxing politics and a shoulder injury. In his first fight back, it looked as if he’d never been away and produced an explosive one-punch knockout of Ante Verunica in the second round. This showcased one of his biggest and most impressive attributes; his power.
He would surely relish the chance to show what he is capable of against a high-calibre fighter in Fury having once described him as “the best heavyweight we have”.
At 6ft5, Webb would suffer a height and reach disadvantage on Fury and his lack of experience in the big fights may well mean that a battle with ‘The Gypsy King’ would be a step too far for the 30-year old at this stage of his career.
Webb has remained among the top-end of the bookies’ odds list since Fury made the announcement about his return, so there still might be a chance of his one going ahead.
Gary Cornish (25-2-0)
Cornish, a proud 31 year-old Scotsman also known as ‘Highlander’, has power in his punch and, on the surface, holds a respectable-looking record with 25 wins and two defeats. However, his downfalls came on the two occasions when he was presented with an opportunity to shine on the big stage.
He battled Sam Sexton for the British heavyweight title last year and, despite a valiant and spirited attempt, lost out as all three judges decided that he was outboxed by Sexton. He is also a victim of Anthony Joshua, having lasted only 89 seconds of the first round in the biggest test of his career in September 2015.
‘Highlander’ is not as tall as Fury but is still a giant at 6ft7, so there is not much in it in terms of height and reach. However, Cornish’s previous attempts at competing with top-level heavyweights has not gone according to plan so, if this fight does go ahead, Fury should be able to win comfortably and perhaps a slightly tougher would be more beneficial in his returning bout.
Alexander Povetkin (34-1-0)
Povetkin is fresh from his explosive and gruesome knockout of Englishman David Price last month and, despite looking set for a mandatory bout with Joshua in the not too distant future, could well contest a fascinating fight with Fury before that is made possible.
Povetkin’s only defeat as a professional boxer was suffered against the legendary Wladimir Klitschko, who was famously defeated by Fury in his most recent fight. This was his only step out into the major spotlight but has impressive victories on his record against Romanian Christian Hammer, who has held the WBA European title twice, and Carlos Takam, who performed valiantly in a recent bout with Joshua.
In what has been an era of super-heavyweights, Povetkin has enjoyed some success as an averagely sized fighter for the division at 6ft2 with a reach of just 190cm. He has proven over the years that he’s a decent boxer with a rock-hard chin, a tactical brain and power and venom in his punch.
A Povetkin-Fury dual would be a tactical battle between two talented fighters. However, it’s one that is fairly unlikely to go ahead on 9th June as Povetkin would prove a more difficult challenge than Fury and his team are looking for on his first fight back. It wouldn’t be surprising to see these two fight it out next year, though.
Sefer Seferi (23-1-0)
Seferi, nicknamed ‘The Real Deal’, is currently the surprise favourite with the bookies to be heading to Manchester on 9th June to battle it out with Fury for his first ever bout on British soil.
The Albanian is the brother of fellow boxer Nuri Seferi and has spent most of his career as a cruiserweight. He holds an impressive record in that division and picked up the WBF Intercontinental belt last year by defeating former champion Marcelo Ferreira dos Santos, who hadn’t lost a fight in 10 years prior. He faced his only big test in 2016 when he fought the vastly experienced Manuel Charr for the WBA international heavyweight title, but was defeated by the Lebanon-born pugilist in the tenth round.
It would be a huge step up in class for a fighter that, at 39 years of age, still hasn’t gone up against a great deal of quality in a career that’s largely been contested in the cruiserweight division. Fury is big, tall, powerful and would surely be too much for Seferi.
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