Fury vs. Pianeta: Big Fight Preview

Fury vs. Pianeta: Big Fight Preview

Before Carl Frampton enters the ring on Saturday night Tyson Fury makes his 2nd appearance on his comeback as he attempts to once again sit at the top of the heavyweight tree as he takes on the unfancied Francesco Pianeta.

So what’s on the line for both fighters:

For Tyson Fury, a shot at the world heavyweight title will be his with a win, a defeat and his career will almost certainly be over. For Pianeta this could be his last chance to earn another shot at the world title, despite the long odds a win for Pianeta puts him in line for an Indian summer in his career.

Deontay Wilder will be ringside in Belfast and that is telling, Fury only has to win it seems and the fight with Wilder gets made. While the worry is that it is too much too soon for Fury, it’s still nevertheless a fight with much interest and intrigue, but Fury has a job to do first to earn his chance at Wilder.

Francesco Pianeta is the man who stands in the way of a Wilder vs Fury fight, and while Pianeta is a step up from Sefer Seferi, Pianeta is still a safe opponent and is unlikely to make Wilder’s visit a wasted one. The end to the Seferi fight in June, if you can get away with calling it that, saved us all not just Seferi from further punishment.

Fury returned from 32-months away after much documented personal problems and the Seferi episode served its purpose, Fury just needed to be back in the ring again and after all his problems Fury deserves much credit for even getting back at all.

But on Saturday we need to see a lot more, he is now being judged in elite company again. The thought was Fury (26-0) would have 3/4 fights before talk of a fight with Wilder or Anthony Joshua got serious but now Fury has to be judged by what’s imminent.

Fury, 29, still has plenty of time on his hands and I would prefer at least one more fight before he faces someone like Wilder, but Fury has always done things his own way.
Fury seems happy now judging by the following comments from a Frank Warren press release, and that bodes well for all aspects of his life going forward:

“I’m training hard in the gym every day. I’ve had no time off since the last fight. I’m getting in great shape and really focused on my job. I can’t wait to get in there and put on a show in Belfast. Time is flying and it does when you’re having fun. I have a great team around me and we have got everything bang on. I’ve never, ever been this happy with my training and routine. I’ve got everything sorted. I’ve got the right promoter, the right lawyers, have good people around me and I’m in a good gym atmosphere.”

But even though Fury is an overwhelming favourite he knows he needs to take his opponent seriously, speaking at the final press conference on Tuesday Fury said:

“In heavyweight boxing, if you take your eye off the goal for ten seconds you’re out of there. I know what to expect, I expect him to bring his ‘A game’ and he’s going to try to knock me out because that’s what they all do. Hopefully, he’s not successful and we put on a great show and entertain the fans.”

Pianeta at 33 and coming off a loss won’t spoil the party but should be decent enough to tell us just where Fury is in his comeback. Pianeta (35-4-1) has mixed with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev but has been found wanting. A stoppage loss to Kevin Johnson last year is a major concern, if he has any serious ambitions in winning against Fury. Pianeta has 1 win in his last 3 fights, and is the sort of recent form which is reflected in the long odds.

But Pianeta speaking at the same press conference at least seems up for the fight but I sense even he knows the reason he is here:

“I’m going to give my best and I’m looking forward to the fight. It’s an honour for me to box in front of such an audience. I have a high opinion on Tyson. I was very impressed with his win over Klitschko, I rate him very highly. He says that he’s knocked out every southpaw he’s ever faced, but we’ll see if he is able to do that Saturday night.”

THE ODDS COURTESY OF @SkyBet

PREDICTION:

On Saturday it really is a case of how Fury wins not if, the above odds suggest a Fury win is a mere formality. Nothing on the resume of Pianeta suggests he is capable of beating Fury, even a version of Fury that will still show signs of ring rust on Saturday night and will only be operating at around 70% of the fighter he can be.

Pianeta knows his best chance, his only chance will be in the opening moments, trying to catch Fury cold. But Fury is a hard man to hit and I expect he will ride out any early attacks and once Fury has found his rhythm Pianeta will be removed around the 6th round if not sooner. Once Fury has had his hand raised, we will get the predictable in-ring confrontation with Wilder which will start the hype for the end of year showdown, a fight that will tell us if the Fury comeback is for real.