Why Tyson Fury’s next fight will be different from any boxing match we’ve seen in a long time
Tyson Fury is stepping back into the ring this Friday to fight Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand – here’s what you need to know before the big fight.
Fury made his comeback in April after retiring 15 months earlier following his rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk. He marked his return with a solid win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Right after that, Fury called out Anthony Joshua for the fight “you’ve all been waiting for.” Now, these two heavyweight champions are set to face off in November or December after an agreement was reached by Turki Alalshikh.
Before that big fight, Fury will sharpen his skills against Wach in front of just 1,500 fans, while Joshua will fight Kristian Prenga the next day in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Normally, a fight like this would get a lot of attention, but Fury vs. Wach is a bit different for a few reasons. Fury said he will fight around 10 pm local time (4 pm UK) on Friday and, unusually, he’ll be the first fight of the night.
Also, this fight won’t be shown live on TV. Instead, it will air later as part of season three of Fury’s Netflix show, ‘At Home with the Furys.’
In a social media post, Fury said, “This great fight will not be streamed live! It will only be on my hit Netflix show.” Netflix showed his last fight against Makhmudov and will probably air the upcoming Joshua fight as well.
The fight is happening behind closed doors, with no plans for live broadcasts. That means no pay-per-view, streaming, or traditional TV coverage, which is unusual for Fury, who has always drawn global attention since his big win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
This fight is really about getting Fury some rounds and keeping him sharp, not making money from broadcasts. That’s why it’s happening in a small arena with a limited audience.
While Wach is a respected fighter who once challenged Klitschko for the world title, he’s past his prime at 46. Fury is the clear favorite and is playing it safe by choosing an opponent that won’t risk his upcoming fight with Joshua.
Wach has lost 11 of his last 17 fights against notable fighters like Hughie Fury (Tyson’s cousin), Dillian Whyte, Frazer Clarke, and Moses Itauma.
Thailand isn’t usually the place for a fight with global fans, but it makes sense here since Fury has been training there for months. He’s also giving back to the community by donating ticket sales from the Max Muay Thai Stadium event to local charities.
Fury said, “It’s a beautiful thing I can do here, giving back to a great cause. The WBC will even create a special belt for this fight.”
The Netflix show acts as a great way to promote and share Fury’s fights and training, showing behind-the-scenes moments fans usually don’t see on TV. It also lets Fury keep a low profile.
So, fans might end up watching Fury’s big fight with Joshua first and then see the earlier bout with Wach later on Netflix.
Unfortunately, the fight won’t be live, and fans will need to wait for the documentary to watch it since no highlights will be released right after.