British boxers and the circus that surrounds them can appear a little eccentric but Tyson Fury forced doubters to ignore the eccentricity and acknowledge the seriousness
To American fight people, British boxers and the circus that surrounds them can appear a little, shall we say, eccentric. Mostly they keep their disdain hidden, or at least muted. Other times they don’t bother. When Don Cockell, the Battersea Blacksmith, pitched up in San Francisco to fight Rocky Marciano in 1955, local reporters noted his appetite for ice cream. Over a Las Vegas weekend 11 years ago Floyd Mayweather Jr’s fans were left bemused by the sight of thousands of Mancunians parading up and down the neon-bathed Strip, loudly proclaiming that they were “walking in a Hatton wonderland”. So Tyson Fury was simply maintaining a tradition when he serenaded his audience at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night with an ebullient chorus of American Pie.
Imagine an American heavyweight breaking into On Ilkla Moor Baht ’at after a world championship bout and you get some idea of why they think we’re a bit weird and, in boxing terms, not entirely serious.
Written by Richard Williams
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/03/tyson-fury-deontay-wilder-heavweight-boxing under the title “US fans don’t always take British boxing seriously – Fury showed they should | Richard Williams”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
