British boxer Tyson Fury. Photo / AP
Christopher Reive looks at the week that was, and the weekend ahead, in combat sports.
There are few bigger names in combat sports than Tyson Fury. Unbeaten in 32 fights, with the personality and charisma to match his talent, Fury will defend his WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles against Dillian Whyte in front of more than 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium – and it could be the last we see of him.
Fury has hinted at retiring after his meeting with Whyte on Sunday morning, which would see him walk away from the game at 33 years old and at the height of his powers.
Retirement talk in sport is often fascinating to follow from a performance point of view, as often those ready to bring the curtain down on their career will start to have worse performances. That hasn't been the case for Fury, who has only looked better over his last three fights.
He's well set up to walk away; with plenty of money in the bank, in good health and multiple world championship reigns. However should he leave Wembley Stadium victorious, it would be a shock to see him call it a career. A win over Whyte and Fury likely clears the path to take on the winner of Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua II to find an undisputed heavyweight champion.
I asked Kiwi cruiserweight David Nyika, who trains with Fury's camp in London, and he said it could be Fury's last dance, but he felt like Fury was in his prime.
"From what I've seen in his sparring, I can't see anybody giving him that much trouble right now – from Dillian Whyte to Anthony Joshua to Oleksandr Usyk – there's no one out there that is going to give him too many issues right now. I think he's really coming into his prime," Nyika said.
Should Fury win and walk away from the sport on Sunday, he will retire as just the second heavyweight champion to end his career unbeaten – after the legendary Rocky Marciano, who finished his career in 1955 with a 49-0 record.
It's often said that it takes a special sort of person to become a professional athlete. To make a career in a sport, an individual's drive and want to succeed has to rank alongside (well, probably just under) talent and ability.
Tyson Pedro is a prime example.
The UFC light heavyweight contender hasn't stepped foot inside the UFC octagon since December 2018 due to a knee injury which required multiple surgeries to repair.
While there were some bright moments away from fighting during that time for the 30 year old – he welcomed his daughter to the world and got involved in several successful business ventures – it was hard to get away from the negativity that surrounded his athletic career for the past few years, particularly with an active presence on social media.
He pressed on, and this weekend will reap the fruits of his labour when he steps into the octagon against Ike Villanueva (18-13) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday.
"It's hard when no one else sees your vision," Pedro reflected ahead of his return. "No matter what was going to happen, I was always going to get back here and I knew that. But when people are coming in from the sidelines, you're always going to wonder if they're right. It just makes you question yourself more. Luckily, I've stayed true to myself.
"With social media, as soon as you read those comments 1 – you want to punch that person in the face, but 2 – if you're not ready for it, it can get on your nerves, because you'll just be thinking about that one comment.
"I flipped it on its head and they were actually what was giving me drive through some of the hard parts, through the rehab I'd think of that one dickhead who's commented something and think 'let's go – I'll be standing there with my hand raised and you'll still be sitting there where you wrote that comment from' so gave me a bit of a chip on my shoulder.
"It sort of helped me, so thanks to them."
Heading into his return bout this weekend against Villanueva (18-13), Pedro admits he's unsure of what he can expect from himself, but has worked alongside Eugene Bareman, head coach of Auckland's City Kickboxing gym, to put together a strong game plan for the bout.
Pedro trained at City Kickboxing midway through last year in preparation for a return later in 2021, but reinjured his knee in the process. But while he couldn't return to New Zealand in this fight camp, Pedro was able to work with members of city Kickboxing when they were stuck out of New Zealand for two weeks on return from the States in February, and spent time with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and his coach Joe Lopez at Freestyle MMA in Windang.
Pedro said breaking down fights with Bareman was always a fruitful experience, and prepared him for what he will meet upon his return.
"It's a good technical, strategic fight for me. Eugene broke it all down; luckily for me they got stuck in Sydney so he was able to break the fight down for me. That's probably one of my weaknesses – breaking down fights and watching tape. I've been learning that from these guys and my fight IQ has definitely increased."
Speaking of returning from injury, top Kiwi cruiserweight boxer David Light is set to make his first appearance in the ring since mid-December 2020 when he takes on American Anthony Martinez in Florida on May 8.
Light (17-0) and Martinez (12-1) will fight for the vacant WBO Interntaional Cruiser Title, looking to continue their paths to a world title shot. The pair are ranked No 15 and 14 by the WBO, while Light is also ranked at No 15 by the IBF. The bout is an important step for both fighters in a competitive division – which was cut wide open when undisputed champion Usyk vacated the belts to move up in weight. Reigning WBO world champion Lawrence Okolie won the international title in late 2020, and won the vacant world title three months later.
Light has been dealing with an Achilles injury since his last fight, but Isaac Peach of Auckland Peach Boxing tells me he is fit and itching to return. Light was a Commonwealth Games silver medallist at heavyweight in 2014, and in his 17-0 professional career, 10 of his wins have come by stoppage.
Let's start with the good news: we have fight announcements. UFC welterweight Blood Diamond is slated to be making his return to the octagon at UFC 275 in Singapore in June, taking on Orion Cosce. Diamond was supposed to fight Cosce in his UFC debut – an ultimately unsuccessful endeavour against the surging Jeremiah Wells – but Cosce was forced out due to Covid-19.
In bad news, Kiwi-born Australian middleweight Robert Whittaker has been forced out of his bout against Marvin Vettori at UFC 275, citing an ankle injury.
On the ICYMI front – David Tua is being inducted into the boxing hall of fame, and Mike Tyson allegedly punched a drunk bloke on a plane.
Fury v Whyte is the big one this weekend. Fury goes in as the deserving favourite, though Whyte shouldn't be underestimated. He has power and will press the action early. That event is live on Sky Arena and Sky Sport Now (pay per view) from 5am.
In martial arts of the mixed variety, Bellator MMA a serving up a doubleheader in Hawaii this weekend – with two nights of fights and both featuring title bouts. On Saturday, flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez and challenger Liz Carmouche headline the card, with Australian featherweight Arlene Blencowe trying to dethrone Cris Cyborg on Sunday's card. You may have to find a stream for those cards.
In the UFC, surging strawweight Amanda Lemos takes on former title holder Jessica Andrade in the main event. Pedro fights on the preliminary card, which will be on ESPN on Sunday from 10am.
Closer to home, the New Zealand Boxing Championships begin on Friday night and run through the weekend. They're being broadcast on Sky Sport and Sky Sport Now. Check guides for times.
Williams has a lot on his mind as he gears up for the biggest bout of his career.