TYSON FURY vs JOHN McDERMOTT

THURSDAY WEIGH-IN UPDATE (with revised odds, revised pick): Last September, unbeaten heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury found himself in the toughest fight of his fledgling professional career, weathering some anxious moments to win a hotly debated decision over the more experienced John McDermott after 10 well-fought rounds. There was such a furore over the verdict, and especially the wide scoring of referee and sole arbiter Terry O’Connor, who had Fury ahead by a lopsided margin of 98-92, that a rematch always seemed inevitable. On Friday the two meet again, this time in a 12-rounder. The English championship is at stake while the bout will also be a final eliminator for the British title.

Britain’s oddsmakers have made Fury the clear favourite. He is undefeated, the younger, much bigger man and considered more naturally gifted than McDermott. Also, Fury has easily won two bouts since the last meeting while McDermott has not boxed in the ensuing nine months.

McDermott has, however, made a change, working with one of Britain’s top trainers and conditioners, the former world title challenger Jim McDonnell.

Fury, meanwhile, is back being trained by his uncle Hughie, who does not have a background as a boxing trainer, after a spell working with the veteran Brian Hughes.

I know that McDermott has had good sparring with unbeaten British heavyweights David Price — the Olympic silver medallist who beat Fury in the amateurs — and Tom Dallas.

Fury, meanwhile, admits he has had little sparring — perhaps as little as 10 rounds. He says that this is not a problem and told Britain’s Daily Star tabloid that if he can’t beat McDermott he will retire from boxing.

There is no doubt that the 6ft 8ins, 250-pound Fury has great potential. In the amateurs he was a bronze medallist in the world junior championships in 2006, and in 2008 he won the ABA (or English national) title in the super heavyweight division.

Brian Hughes, who said he never had a problem with Fury and liked the young man on the personal level, doesn’t like to discuss the split in great detail but intimated in a phone conversation that the boxer’s father, ex-fighter Gypsy John Fury, was getting too involved for Hughes’s liking.

“Tyson’s a lovely kid,” Hughes said over the phone from Manchester. “I took him to Germany for a week’s sparring and he had good work over there.”

Hughes said that Fury outclassed one of Europe’s top heavyweights in sparring sessions in Germany. I don’t think it is fair to mention the boxer’s name. Sparring is sparring, fighting is fighting. A boxer helps out a fellow-professional by sparring with him and doesn’t want to read articles saying how he got pasted for his trouble.

“I’m not with Tyson now so I have no reason to say this, but believe me, this kid can be world champion,” Hughes said. “He is a very talented boxer. The only thing is, I don’t know how well prepared he will be now he’s back training with his uncle.”

McDermott, meanwhile, seems to have had the best preparation of his career, with Jim McDonnell saying that the 30-year-old from Essex, east of London, is primed to pull off the upset.

“I think he’s got more potential than anyone can realise, more than even he himself does,” McDonnell said over the phone from London. “What he’s done [in training] over the last nine weeks, I’ve opened his mind to the horizons of the ability he’s got. I think he’s surprised himself with what he’s done. He goes into this fight probably in the best physical shape of his life and also in the best mental shape. I think he can only go onwards and upwards.

“We’ve sat down and analysed [the first fight] and looked at it, and I’ve told him to take a different view of it, rather than keep believing what people are saying, that he got robbed. At the end of the day, what’s done is done. I’ve studied all of Fury’s fights, every one of them, and what you see is what you get. I don’t think he’ll bring in anything different to this fight. I’ve worked out Fury’s pattern, and it’s been very, very easy to work out. I think Tyson will bring exactly what he brought to the ring the last time, his size, his belief — he really talks it up, which is great for the sport — but looking at the technical ability of the both of them, I think John is superior in every department and I think he’ll prove it in this fight.”

McDonnell sees the 12-round distance as being an advantage for McDermott, who fought two gruelling 12-rounders with Danny Williams, a fighter McDonnell trained. “The first time you have to box 12 rounds, even if you’ve probably trained hard you didn’t know you could do it,” McDonnell said. “We’re all human, Tyson Fury included. It’s a nightmare for him, because not only is he dealing with McDermott, which is one obstacle, he’s got to deal with the dilemma in his mind of 12 rounds, which he’s never had to do.

“John sparred 15 three-and-a-half-minute rounds last week, at a high tempo, so he really is in the best shape of his career and mentally he believes it as well — as for the other kid, after 10 rounds he was absolutely delighted it was over. I think it [the 12-round distance] is a major, major plus for John.

“I see John stopping him. Fury comes into the fight, I believe, prepared for the John McDermott that he’s already fought, but John’s going to make him do things in this fight that he’s never had to do before and because [Fury’s] only 22 I don’t think he’s going to have the maturity to answer the questions that will be put in front of him. I think John will do a number on him.”

This is perhaps the most eagerly awaited bout of the year on Sky Sports. There will be three judges this time, with the referee’s sole duties being to control the contest. Was the verdict last time as shocking as many make it out to be? I don’t think so. Analyst Jim Watt had it 96-94 in McDermott’s favour on his Sky Sports scorecard, just one round from being a draw. Fury fought through fatigue to finish strongly — with McDermott even turning away in the 10th as the younger man dug down and let his punches fly.

I make the rematch essentially an even fight, with Fury slightly favoured (last time he came into the ring as a -800 favourite).

McDermott was able to outjab Fury at times in the last fight and he landed some heavy right hands, but Fury showed an excellent chin, fought gamely and had success with his jab, and at one point I thought he hurt his man with a left hook to McDermott’s rather podgy body.

I see Fury as the superior boxer, but he seems a bit of a happy-go-lucky type and I think that the 30-year-old McDermott might be the more focused and perhaps have a greater commitment to the fight.

McDermott was a capable amateur, winning the ABA super heavyweight title in only his ninth bout. He twice fought Danny Williams down to the wire and in the first fight he had Williams almost out on his feet in the fifth round.

One must feel sympathy for McDermott. Three times in a row he has lost bouts that he believed he won — the majority and split decision defeats against Williams, then the so-called robbery against Fury.

Perhaps this time McDermott can get a break if the fight goes to the scorecards.

“I’ve always had faith in John’s ability and this time I believe he will show people how good he really is,” McDermott’s promoter, Frank Maloney, said in a phone call from London.

“If Fury boxes as well as I know he can box, he will probably stop McDermott,” says Brian Hughes.

The key factor here could be the preparation and mental attitude of the fighters. McDermott seems to have put his heart and soul into his training and appears to have a sense of mission. I wasn't so sure I could say the same of Fury.

Fury looked in outstanding shape at today's weigh-in, however, when he came in at an announced weight of 19st 2lbs (270lbs).

He weighed in wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but when he stripped to the waist for publicity photos he looked almost lean — I have never seen Fury's body in such excellent trim.

McDermott looked his usual doughy self at 18st 2lbs (254lbs). After seeing the weigh-in video I am backing off from my original thoughts of McDermott to spring the upset. He could do it, but I am changing horses and anticipating a Fury win and possibly by stoppage in the last four rounds. Fury came in at 245lbs for the first fight and seemed weak at times in the bout; he looks like a different physical specimen this time around.