Jorge Capetillo interview
Speaking to Betway Sports, Tyson Fury cutman Jorge Capetillo shared his insight into Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight and when he believes "The Gypsy King" will actually retire from the sport.
Jorge Capetillo runs one of Las Vegas’ busiest gyms – the Capetillo and TM Boxing Gym – and is the trusted cutman for WBC World heavyweight king, Tyson Fury, famously managing to stem the steady flow of blood from his man's huge gash above the eye caused by Otto Wallin, which allowed him to stay in the fight and retain his undefeated record by a unanimous decisionin 2019.
JC shared his thoughts on everything to do with heavyweight boxing right now:
Fury vs Ngannou – what’s your thoughts on the fight?
JC: “That’s a big fight, a huge fight and is very entertaining. Just like Tyson was saying, he was tipping his hat off to Francis Ngannou because he conquered the UFC heavyweight crown and is a hard punching guy. He’s not taking it lightly and like he was saying, ‘If I lose to an MMA guy, everybody is going to be laughing at me,’ and it’s true. For me he is the best heavyweight in the world and should be number one Pound for Pound with what he done against Wilder in his comeback. On his resume, he’s defeated Wladimir Klitschko, he has a big resume Tyson Fury. It’s a good fight and fans like to see fights like that – the best fighting the best. We can’t sleep on Francis Ngannou, he has a lot of power. He’s not got the range or the distance, it’s a different timing and distance in boxing compared to MMA but at the same time it is the heavyweight division and we are a punch away from chaos. This is why Tyson is not taking the fight lightly, he is training hard in camp and will put on a big show.”
Fight prediction?
JC: “Of course Tyson wins – 100%. This is how I see it: it is the first time Francis is going to be fighting at a different pace. You are always jabbing, slipping, keeping in range and counterpunching so it is a different stamina and conditioning to MMA. In MMA, you can have a kick, go to the ground and stuff like that. For Tyson the first five rounds I think he will box him, work him down and when he sees Francis starts slowing down then he’s going to start punching more. Francis Ngannou has huge power but I think is too slow for Tyson Fury. I think with all due respect to Francis, the fight might go to the later rounds and that will be it. A late KO, he will stop him 100%. Everybody punches hard in the heavyweight division – he already knocked out Wilder who is a heavy puncher as well so he can take that punch but I don’t see Francis passing the 10 (rounds).”
How often are you in contact with Tyson?
JC: “We have a great friendship. We share the same faith and he’s always supporting me, showing me love and his family do. We are always in touch, say hi and have a good week. He called me 20 days ago so yeah we stay in touch a lot. We try to remain in contact and speak about family – he is a great man. I am always here for him 100%.
“We are not working together for this fight but when he comes to the U.S, Las Vegas where we have worked together yes, but he is on the other side of the planet. It’s more easy for me and him to work together when he is in the States.”
Will Fury fight into his 40s?
JC: “He has conquered everything and has nothing more to prove in boxing. He is the lineal heavyweight champion of the world, he was a unified heavyweight champion of the world and now the WBC champion. If he decides to walk out tomorrow he has done everything in boxing. I think it is more about him feeling with a purpose to fight. He was talking about fighting Jon Jones and stuff like that. Believe it or not, the world wants to see that fight. These are the fights the people want to see. Whenever he decides to step out of boxing and relax with his family then great but boxing always pulls him back in and he loves the sport. He loves to motivate and inspire people.”
Thoughts on Fury vs Jones in the Octagon?
JC: “No, I don’t think Tyson will go into the Octagon, that’s a whole different world when you’re talking about the grappling, wrestling and kicks. I think Tyson Fury is a classy man, a gentleman of the sport and he loves boxing that’s his passion and from my point of view it will be more easy to see Tyson Fury in a boxing match than the cage against Jones. Even the money is different in boxing and MMA. In the boxing side everyone makes more money!”
You say Fury has conquered it all, but he’s not been undisputed champion. If he fights Usyk next, how does it go?
JC: “Usyk is a great fighter but he is a cruiserweight. I think with respect, he is too small for Tyson and he’s a great fighter but I don’t see how he has the power to hurt Tyson Fury. I think Tyson is a strong fighter, very big and has a great ring IQ for boxing. Let’s remember, Tyson Fury is the guy who can switch, box in southpaw stance, the orthodox way and that’s a fighter who has a lot of talent and skills in the IQ. I don’t think Usyk has anything to do with Fury in the ring.”
The fans want Fury vs Joshua – is that the big fight we need?
JC: “Wow that’s the fight the UK deserve, the UK will love to see and I think that’s the fight I hope they can get done and happen. We’re talking about an Olympic gold medallist in Anthony Joshua, a tremendous fighter who is very disciplined and has been doing a lot of things in boxing. But the UK needs this fight and it would be a huge fight and I hope they can get it done. A guy like Anthony Joshua would make Tyson Fury look good, make him have all the skills on the table and perform great for the people.”
Some people say AJ only has a punchers chance, do you agree?
JC: “In the heavyweight division, everybody has a punchers chance, even Francis Ngannou. Everybody has a chance and deserves the respect and chance to make a great champion but we are talking about skills, ring IQ and experience, and I think if you put both men together then we have a man who won a gold medal in the Olympics which is very hard, harder to become an Olympic champion than a world champion to be honest. We have a guy (Joshua) who works hard and is very strong and you can see him after the Ruiz fight he doesn’t look quite the same as the beginning with his aggression, he hesitates a lot now. On the other side, we got a man (Fury) who defeated Wladimir Klitschko, Deontay Wilder – a KO monster – when we talk about Tyson Fury we are talking about a man who made one of the greatest comebacks. A man who raised up from the canvas in the 12th round against Wilder and he finished the fight, came back and fought Otto Wallin with 47 stitches when I was in his corner. Tyson has already been down, got up and continued fighting when cut in a huge way and got the fight through, got the decision and had a man who destroyed Wilder. It can’t get better than this. At the end of the day, I think Tyson Fury is more experienced, skilled and has a better IQ in the ring.”
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