Tyson Fury masterclass or unworthy opponent? We ask the experts for their view…
Tyson Fury (28-0-1) didn't put a foot wrong in his Las Vegas debut against unbeaten German Tom Schwarz (24-1) at the weekend, two weeks after domestic rival Anthony Joshua was dethroned by Mexican Andy Ruiz Jr in New York.
Fury threw over 40 jabs in the opening round against the WBO #2, who barely landed a punch himself. In the second stanza, 'The Gypsy King' switched stance to southpaw and toyed with Schwarz, displaying some incredible upper body movement to make the WBO Inter-Continental heayweight champion miss wildly, before ending matters shortly after with some well-timed heavy shots straight down the pipe.
AJ has already come out with some faint praise for his rival, but also added a dig about his opponent being ranked 56th in the world. So BBN asked their panel of experts what they thought of the fight – was it a mis-match or a masterclass?
George Hillyard
Super-middleweight boxer
"Absolutely, after the layoff Tyson had, coming off the back of his fight against Wilder, facing an undefeated opponent who had 24 straight wins under his belt, this was a potential banana skin.
I already fancied Tyson for the victory from the off as I mentioned on the Mayweather channel, that said, Tyson has been working extremely hard for this fight and ultimately it was his preparation, hard work and self belief that won the day.
This is now set up perfectly for a rematch with Wilder….that’s something I'd love to see!
Tyson is quite simply the best heavyweight in the world! He’s the full package, a come forward fighter, character, boxing smarts, sells himself well, however, if I was going to highlight one weakness of Tyson's game it would be he lacks that explosive punching power of an AJ or a Wilder.
Take nothing away from Tyson though, he’s earned his place!"
Sergio Michel
American singer/songwriter and boxing superfan
"Tyson Fury fought a credible opponent last Saturday in Tom Schwarz.
Schwarz was clearly outmatched by the most talented heavyweight of today (arguably ever), yet managed to stay a live dog all the way until the end, posing a credible threat throughout. The fact that Fury evaded seven punches thrown at close range from a man in Schwarz who was throwing down the middle and with bad intent should convince anyone with common sense that Tyson Fury is the most skilled heavyweight there is.
I, for one, am lobbying Ring Magazine to restore their belt to Tyson, as he is the true Lineal Champion of the division. The Lineal title is greater than any belt given by a sanctioning body, as it is a prestigious title that goes back all the way to John Lawrence Sullivan. A true fighting man recognizes that pedigree and knows that the kingpin of the heavyweights is the one and only Tyson Fury."
Miles Shinkwin
Former English light-heavyweight champion
"Worthy is a funny word in boxing. Was Andy Ruiz a worthy challenger to Anthony Joshua until he beat him? If Josh would’ve rolled over him as expected then everyone would have a different opinion, as it turns out he’s now the next best thing who’ll win the rematch easier.
Schwarz was an opponent who was there purely to showcase Tyson to the American public. Job done. Next please."
Tim Rickson
Sports Agent
"I think it was a fine performance by Fury regardless of the opponent in front of him.
He showed off some good moves and it was nice to see him get the stoppage with those heavy shots, because he's not known for knocking people out early.
Ok, so we can all admit that Schwarz isn't world level, but he earned his way up to No.2 with the WBO with an impressive record of 24-0, with 16 knockouts, so he's obviously a high-level fighter, but just not top-level. He's part of a talented stable of fighters that includes European heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel, he has beaten six undefeated fighters in his career, notched up eight first-round stoppages, and won a couple of WBO belts. On paper, he looked like he could present a challenge, but he failed to bring anything to the fight at all.
He barely managed to land a punch in the first round, but was that due to Fury's smart movement? He moved from left and right and was constantly on his toes, never allowing Schwarz to line anything up, plus his superior reach played a part, too. When he tried to unload in the second round, Fury made him miss with ease and then played with him as he lined him up, took aim and took him out completely.
I think Schwarz should have carried on for as long as he could, it was his moment to show the world what he was about, but he let himself down, in my opinion. When you're headlining in Las Vegas on pay-per-view, you have got to give it everything. I'm disappointed he didn't, and I know the referee stopped the fight, but he must have heard those klaxons go and should have thrown something back or held, or even taken a knee to survive to the next round.
In all honesty, I think Fury broke his heart as quick as anything in there and he was baffled as to what he could even try to do against an opponent so many levels above him. That left hook from Tyson one minute into the second round hurt Schwarz badly, and from that moment on he was struggling and he knew he was out of his depth.
Obviously, Schwarz is no Klitschko or Wilder, but he was ranked No.2 with the WBO and was the reigning Inter-Continental champion, and unbeaten in 24, so he was definitely a credible opponent, in my view."