Last weekend brought us two fights that were mainly supposed to serve as tune-ups before the long-awaited clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
First, Tyson Fury faced Mariusz Wach. One day later, Anthony Joshua stepped into the ring against Kristian Prenga.
These were not title fights. They were not supposed to crown a new king of the heavyweight division or turn the world rankings upside down. Fury and Joshua were simply meant to get back into the ring, see what still works, find out what is starting to creak, get a few rounds under their belts and move one step closer to fighting each other.
In other words, they were supposed to be training fights.
Training fights in a professional ring, of course, under the lights, in front of cameras and against another man who also has two hands and knows how to use them.
Not every boxing fan understands that these fights are also part of the sport. For some people, every bout has to be a war to the death. There must be blood, sweat, tears, heads flying off and preferably a dramatic knockout in the final second. If someone boxes sensibly for seven rounds and avoids getting himself killed, people immediately start saying the fight was fixed, boring or pointless.
Sometimes, though, a fighter is simply supposed to go out there, do his job and go home.
Fury and Joshua both did their jobs.
The problem is that both fights also showed that neither man currently looks like an unstoppable wrecking machine.
Fury Won, Wach Did His Job
Tyson Fury comfortably outboxed Mariusz Wach. He was faster, more accurate and controlled most of what happened in the ring. Mariusz did not have much to say in there, and there is no point pretending otherwise.
He did not have much of a chance of winning either.
He was probably never brought in for that purpose.
Wach was there to give Fury rounds, offer some resistance and test how the former champion looked after his time away. That is exactly what he did.
Wach made it to the seventh round. His corner stopped the fight because of a problem with his hand. Along the way, however, the Polish heavyweight managed to catch Fury cleanly several times. Two or three shots really got people’s attention. Tyson felt them and, for a moment, was reminded that the man standing in front of him was not a heavy bag, but a fighter weighing well over one hundred kilograms who can still punch.
Was Wach close to winning?
No.
Did he make it a respectable fight and show that he can still share a ring with a major name?
Absolutely.
The fight was one-sided, but it was still enjoyable to watch. Not every bout needs five knockdowns, a broken nose and a commentator screaming into the microphone to have any value.
Joshua Got Far More Than He Ordered
Anthony Joshua’s fight with Kristian Prenga looked completely different.
Joshua was supposed to make a calm return, get through a few rounds and show that he was still ready for big things. The problem was that he found himself on the canvas in the opening round.
More than once.
For a moment, it genuinely looked as though the whole thing might be over. The grand plan for a fight with Fury looked close to collapsing at the first hurdle, with Joshua losing to a man who was only supposed to help him shake off the rust.
Joshua survived.
In the second round, he knocked Prenga out and reminded everyone that one thing about his boxing has not changed: he can still hit hard enough to turn the lights off.
The fight also exposed huge holes in his defence. If an average opponent can put him down, Tyson Fury will certainly watch those moments very carefully. Probably more than once, with a cup of tea in his hand and a very wide smile on his face.
Joshua has a lot of work ahead of him. Heavy hands alone may not be enough.
But there is one more thing that has to be said.
Anthony Joshua showed heart.
After the first knockdown, he could have fallen apart. After the second, even more so. Instead, he got up, survived the worst moment, worked his way back into the fight and finished it on his own terms.
Technique can be improved. Some of the holes in his defence can be patched up. A fighter can change his trainer, his game plan, his movement and the position of his hands.
But when a fighter lacks character, no tactics board in the world can fix that.
Joshua still has character.
Coming Back From Something Much Bigger Than a Defeat
His return also matters for another reason.
Joshua came back after a serious car accident in which two of his friends lost their lives. He was injured himself and was left with the question of whether he would even want to fight again.
After something like that, a person does not simply return to training.
First, he has to return to himself.
Joshua came back. He entered the ring, got hit, found himself on the canvas, stood up and won.
We can talk about his mistakes, his poor defence and the fact that Fury may be able to take advantage of all of it. Every bit of that is true.
But we also have to understand what it may have cost him just to come back.
That is why I believe Anthony Joshua was one of the winners of this weekend. Not because he beat Prenga. He was supposed to beat him.
He won because, after everything that happened, he still wanted to step between the ropes.
The Biggest Winner Was Still Mariusz Wach
In my opinion, however, the biggest winner of the entire weekend was Mariusz Wach.
Yes, he lost.
Yes, Fury controlled the fight.
Yes, Mariusz was nowhere near causing an upset.
So what?
Once again, Wach stepped into the ring with a fighter from the very top level. His list of opponents includes names such as Dillian Whyte, Moses Itauma and now Tyson Fury. There are not many Polish fighters who can look at their record and see so many men from the top of the heavyweight division.
You can say that he did not win all those fights.
Of course he did not.
If he had won all of them, he would probably have been a multiple-time world champion himself.
But first, you have to be willing to face those men.
Tyson Fury is not the kind of opponent you turn down. When the phone rings and someone says, “Mariusz, we’ve got a fight with Fury,” the answer is not, “Let me check my calendar.”
The answer is:
“Where and when?”
Mariusz accepted the fight, stepped into the ring, lasted seven rounds, landed several solid shots and probably earned an amount of money that made the weeks of preparation and the risk of fighting one of the most recognisable boxers in the world worthwhile.
And good for him.
Boxers Do Not Fight for Glory Alone
A large section of boxing fans sometimes behaves as though a fighter should compete only for honour, the flag, a belt and a collection of beautiful memories.
No.
Boxers also fight to make money.
It is their job.
Of course, every fighter would like to become a world champion, win a belt, write his name into history and hear it announced in front of a huge crowd.
But you cannot buy food with a championship belt, and a medal will not pay the electricity bill.
A boxer’s career is short. Every training camp costs money. Trainers cost money, sparring partners cost money, nutrition costs money and rehabilitation costs money. On top of that, every time a fighter steps into the ring, he risks his health.
If a well-paid fight with Tyson Fury appears near the end of your career, a sensible fighter takes it.
There is nothing wrong with that.
There is nothing to apologise for.
Mariusz Wach has a family and a life outside boxing. For many years, boxing has been his profession. This time, he did his job well. He did not win, but he also did not turn up as a man who had only come to collect a cheque.
He fought, landed some good shots and took what professional boxing placed on the table.
Fury Against Joshua? Of Course I’ll Be Watching
Does Tyson Fury look great at the moment?
No.
Does Anthony Joshua look like a fighter without weaknesses?
Absolutely not.
One won comfortably, but without looking spectacular. The other hit the canvas before eventually knocking his opponent out.
And that is exactly why their fight may be interesting.
They are no longer young, hungry fighters walking through the heavyweight division like bulldozers. Both men have age, problems, defeats and the marks left by earlier wars. Both also know that this could be one of the final truly huge fights of their careers.
Will it change the balance of power in the heavyweight division?
Probably not.
Will it decide who the best fighter in the world is?
No.
But it will still be a fight between two enormous names, and it is a fight we have been waiting to see for many years.
I will gladly watch it.
After this weekend, at least one thing is clear: Fury and Joshua both have weaknesses the other man can exploit. Fury can still control a fight, but he can be caught. Joshua still carries huge power, but he can also find himself on the canvas at any moment.
It will not be perfect.
It may, however, be very interesting.
For me, it was a great weekend for boxing. Mariusz Wach once again stepped in with a major name and did his job. Anthony Joshua returned after a personal tragedy, got back up from the canvas and won. Tyson Fury got the rounds he needed.
Now we wait for Fury against Joshua.
Without pretending that it will decide the future of world boxing.
It will simply be a good fight to watch.
And sometimes, that is more than enough.
MMFN — Mirek Marcinski