By Ian S Palmer
England’s Hughie Fury returns to the ring in Manchester, England this Saturday, March 7th when he takes on Pavel Sour of the Czech Republic. The 1o-round heavyweight fight can be seen live in North America on DAZN while those in the UK can catch the action on Sky Sports. Fury last fought in August when he lost a 12-round unanimous decision to former WBA Heavyweight Champ Alexander Povetkin. Sour last saw action in October when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Jermaine Franklin and was dropped in the sixth and 10th rounds.
Fury is of course the cousin of Tyson Fury. He’s just 25 years old and hasn’t really beaten anybody of note up to now since turning pro in 2013. He’s boxed a total of 142 rounds against the likes of Samuel Peter, Sam Sexton, Fred Kassi, Dominick Guinn, Larry Olubamiwo, Andriy Rudenko and Matthew Greer. When he did step up in class against Joseph Parker for a shot at his WBO Heavyweight Title in September of 2017 he held his own, but dropped a majority decision.
He didn’t look impressive at all against Kubrat Pulev in October, 2018 either and lost a 12-round unanimous decision and also lost to Povetkin when stepping up in class in his last fight. He’s now 23-3 with 13 Kos with the defeats to Parker, Pulev and Povetkin. Fury enjoyed a pretty good amateur career and stopped Sam Sexton in five rounds in May, 2018 to win the British Heavyweight Title. However, he’s been mainly successful as a pro due to his size as he stands 6-feet-6-inches tall with an 80-inch wingspan.
Along with winning the British Heavyweight Title, Fury has also captured the WBO Inter-Continental Belt as a pro. He’s quite mobile in the ring but often slaps pity-pat punches instead of letting them go with power and his current knockout ratio is 50 per cent. He’s displayed a solid chin so far but likely won’t need it against Sour on Saturday night. In reality, Fury isn’t considered championship material by most and never will be unless he can beat a current top-10 boxer rather than journeymen and those in the twilight of their careers.
As for Sour, he’s 37 years old and only turned pro in 2016 when he was already in his mid-thirties. He didn’t fare too well as an amateur and has built up a pro record of 11-2 with 6 Kos. He’s a pretty big guy at just over 6-feet-5-inches tall with a 78-inch reach. He’s an inch shorter than Fury and gives up two inches in reach. The only recognizable name on Sour’s list of opponents is Filip Hrgovic and Sour was blasted out in the first round.
Sour captured the vacant Czech Republic Heavyweight Title in December of 2017 when he beat Vaclav Pejsar via an eighth round technical decision. He then beat Pejsar by a 10-round unanimous decision in their rematch seven months later. Sour is also a boxing manager/promoter. This fight was originally scheduled for last December but Fury pulled out when he contracted a virus.
Prediction…
Sour is basically a club fighter who doesn’t have a great chin or a great deal of power. And let’s not forget he’s 12 years older than Fury and turned pro just four years ago. Fury has displayed a solid chin up to now so it’s unlikely he gets stopped and it’s also unreasonable to expect Sour to outbox him. Fury’s still young but it’s hard to see how a win over Sour can possibly enhance his career. This is a step backwards for him even though he should win the fight.
