Madness in Manchester: Tommy Fury Beats KSI on Points

Madness in Manchester: Tommy Fury Beats KSI on Points

I put the blame on the wife. The boss lady went out on the razzle-dazzle, leaving me alone with just an Indian takeaway for company. Maybe if she had stayed at home, I would have been content with watching some unknown supposed celebrities being dragged around a dance floor on her beloved Strictly. Or just maybe I have been sucked into the world of the Misfits of my own free will. For credibility purposes, I very much blame the Mrs.

The world of the YouTubers and the influencers. It was my first full experience of the circus. This old dinosaur is from another era, another world, but curiosity killed the cat. It was billed as the biggest night in crossover boxing history. That is a fact.

The Manchester Arena was more or less full from the get-go. A sold-out show, and big million-plus PPV numbers are expected. Impressive stuff. Boxing proper and those that reside in it must be raging with jealousy. Resentment is there. I get it. But they must be doing something right. And we must be doing plenty wrong.

The early on-screen talent like Big Zuu and Roman Kemp led the show at the preliminary stage. I had actually heard of them. Several others accompanied them in the studio setting. ‘Presenters’ I hadn’t heard of. They probably are famous in their own world. Sadly or thankfully, it’s not my world.

There was a red carpet and a VIP area. Most of the ‘names’ were wasted on me. H was there, not the guy from Steps surely. Did he really say H or something else? I’m of the understanding it’s Aitch who is a rapper. Either way, why is that song Tragedy now stuck on repeat in my head.

The ring announcer said it was boxing entertainment. Maybe on both counts, that’s a bit of a stretch. But begrudgingly, I have to admit that the rather insane if bewildering numbers involved don’t lie. The masses are indeed apparently entertained. They would probably have lapped up the bizarre and simply mind-blowing build-up, which included grown men knocking the absolute shit out of some innocent perspex sheets. John Fury even went full Donkey Kong and headbutted said perspex. At least he kept his shirt on. The little things we can be thankful for. Fury hates this world. He belongs in it.

An early preliminary bout featured two young ladies boxing for the house title. The announcer uttered the immortal words ‘championship of the world.’ Kill me now. If you are interested, the title didn’t change hands. The scores were strange. And more than controversial. If anybody really cares about such things. The two ladies tried, and they fought their hearts out. But they didn’t slip many punches. If any. A common theme for the evening. And a worrying one. The skills were primitive. Also, a constant theme for the evening.

A fight for the vacant Misfits heavyweight title was briefly akin to that long-forgotten Dempsey Firpo classic. Of course, it wasn’t. I’m trying to entertain myself. Unless I misheard, which I almost certainly did, one of the fighters was introduced as the King of Ducks. I’ll leave that there. And wait to be corrected or educated. I’m trying kids. I really am. By the way, we have a new heavyweight champion of the world boys and girls. The future is golden.

The commentators on DAZN played it straight. Or are they just in on the joke? Several fights in, I’m still confused as to what I’m actually watching. I’ve literally no idea who I am watching. I could have done some research. But the truth is, I just couldn’t be bothered.

The main card started, and the A-side of the presentation was rolled out. Chris Eubank, a real boxer. Idris Virgo, who used to be a proper boxer. He was also once on Love Island. Shamelessly I know that. Ariel Helwani came out. In a feeble attempt to illicit a Mick Foley-type pop from the crowd, he mentioned Manchester. He failed. And miserably.

One dude apparently has 60 million Instagram followers. Another who looked as though he was from Stranger Things, came out to Sweet Caroline. And then his Tag-Team partner came out. Yes, you read that right. I expected The Hart Foundation to follow. The wrestling feel very much in the air. Remember the WWE Brawl for All. Money in the Bank.

The Tag-Team extravaganza had multiple knockdowns, the dude from Stranger Things also got a takedown. How do you score such madness? Ian John-Lewis was the man in the middle. At least we had a safe pair of hands. Stop it, don’t write your own jokes. I thought it would never end. Thankfully, it eventually did. It was only four rounds. It seemed longer. It was another title fight. The very first Misfits Tag-Team title. At least I witnessed history. It was at this moment, that a bottle of Cobra came out of the fridge. I needed it. And the fast-forward button. A few more will help.

Someone called Deen The Great fought. By the way, he wasn’t, but in fairness, he did look half-decent. And in a good fight. For this level. A pre-fight interview warranted an apology for the language used. I found that rather funny after what came before. And after.

Dillon Danis was once a decent enough MMA prospect under the Bellator banner. But he hasn’t fought in over four years. Two knee surgeries were part of the reason for his hiatus. Not many were convinced he would even show up in Manchester to fight Logan Paul. Some will tell you he played the heel quite brilliantly and sold the show perfectly. The ultimate troll. Others, including me, would tell you it was distasteful and embarrassing. His performance would prove to be even more so.

Danis did indeed show up and did the unthinkable. He made Ben Askren look like an elite striker. Trust me, that is some achievement. Paul is a wrestler in the WWE. He once fought Floyd Mayweather and does stuff on the old YouTube. A few words that probably sum up the whole madness.

Danis got the pop from the crowd that Helwani desperately wanted. Very quickly he lost his crowd. Danis did nothing, in the 6th round he even tried for a guillotine. He couldn’t even hold on to that. Or his dignity. Talk is cheap. By the way, Paul won by DQ. At least he tried. Danis was an utter embarrassment.

KSI used to play FIFA, but now he raps and does a plethora of other things. I’ve even seen him on Sunday Brunch. He is the reason this whole circus is where it is right now.

Tommy Fury could fight sterner opposition for less money. You can’t blame a man for earning millions by fighting someone who started out by playing on a games console in his bedroom. But by playing safe, and threatening to destroy the entire YouTube boxing enterprise, he’s probably destroyed his own career. He talks about winning a world title. Maybe so, but it won’t be in boxing. I don’t want to be harsh, but I do have to be honest.

Fury and KSI was a messy fight and at times an unwatchable fight. Fury forgot his jab. He forgot his boxing. He lost the opening two rounds and a point as well for hitting at the back of the head. But I thought Fury won the final four rounds and he got the verdict on the cards. Just. Two judges scored it 57-56 for Fury, while a third had it even at 57-57. KSI called it a robbery. It wasn’t, but nobody would have complained if KSI had got the decision. That is a worry for Fury. Before the verdict, the Fury family would have been worried. And with good reason.

Make no mistake, it was a poor fight. And a poor performance from Fury. He scrambled home. Nothing more. He says he will return to boxing proper. On this performance, it won’t end well.

I sampled the product. I wasn’t impressed. The standard on the whole, with a few exceptions, was extremely limited. It did admittedly improve as the night advanced, again with exceptions. And enough people would have been entertained. And that’s fine. 20,000 fans inside the Manchester Arena says plenty. It’s their world. It just isn’t mine.

But is it really about the skill levels on offer? I probably just don’t get it. Outside of the two main fights, I don’t know the characters involved in the production. I’m just not emotionally invested in the product. In simple terms, I just don’t care.

But it’s not aimed at my generation. It’s not hard to avoid, and while some will hate it with much venom, I’d rather just go elsewhere and try and make the best of the real thing. Boxing royalty was in the building, as were most of the major boxing YouTube outlets in search of precious clicks. Do I expect them to stay away and not blur the lines? Not really, I think that ship has long since sailed.

I do think at some point the well will eventually run dry. But sadly, that day might be a long time coming. While business is booming, it’s here to stay. And stay it will.