SugarHill Steward – Syndication Server

Ben Davison: ‘What’s most important to me is Tyson (Fury) being victorious

Ben Davison moves on to Josh Taylor’s corner without regrets that he wasn’t there for Tyson Fury’s stunning victory over Deontay Wilder.

Ben Davison moves on to Josh Taylor’s corner without regrets that he wasn’t there for Tyson Fury’s stunning seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder.

In a business known for acrimonious splits between trainers and fighters, Davison almost stands alone.

He’s just happy that a friend won.

“What’s most important to me is Tyson being victorious,” Davison told talkSPORT. “I’ve got many years in this sport.’’

Those years continue with Taylor, the junior welterweight champion who announced Thursday that Davison will be his new trainer for a mandatory defense against Apinum Khongsong on May 2.

Taylor, who holds two 140-pound belts, is coming off a contentious split with trainer Shane McGuigan after his jump from Barry McGuigan’s Cyclone Promotions to Top Rank.

But there was no anger from Davison at Fury’s decision to hire SugarHill Steward, who added the aggressive tactics long taught by his late mentor and uncle, Emanuel Steward, to Fury’s skillset.

“Tyson had said to me he wanted to adopt a more aggressive approach,’’ said Davison, who was in Fury’s corner for their draw with Wilder in their fist fight in December 2018. “It proved to be the right decision for him and obviously I wanted him to be victorious more than anything.

“So, as well as a coach and fighter relationship, we had a friendship that was more than anything else. I wanted him to win. And if that meant I was going to be there and – put bluntly – if it meant that I wasn’t going to gain from it financially, that doesn’t matter.’’

A more aggressive Fury in the early rounds against Wilder in the heavyweight rematch Feb. 22 proved to be brilliant. It confused Wilder. Fury was on top of him immediately, which eliminated the space Wilder needs for the leverage to set up his feared right hand.

“Tyson had actually said to me quite a while ago that he wanted to start fast and start hard against Deontay Wilder,’’ Davison said. “But he actually said it to me and I said to him, ‘There are a couple of ways you can go about it. You can Hagler-Hearns on him or you can Sugar Ray Leonard-Hearns him.’’

Turns out, he did a lot of both.

Tyson Fury beats the heavyweight title out of Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder victory over Tyson Fury would be better for boxing

A victory by Deontay Wilder on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be better for the division and the sport.

OPINION

Tyson Fury is the best boxer in the heavyweight division, hands down. That doesn’t make him fun to watch.

I was seated at ringside for the Fury-Deontay Wilder draw at Staples Center in 2018. About 8½ rounds into an uneventful fight in which Fury boxed and Wilder chased, I remember thinking: “Someone wake me up when this garbage is over.” The fight was that boring. Only Wilder’s two knockdowns made it interesting in the end.

Think back to Fury’s stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which turned the division upside down. A common reaction: yawwwwwn.

That’s why a victory by Wilder on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be better for the division and the sport. Fans will take one-punch knockouts over efficient boxing lessons any day. And, obviously, Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) delivers the sudden, violent endings that stir the masses.

Can new trainer SugarHill Steward (right) really turn Tyson Fury into a power puncher? Mikey Williams / Top Rank

On top of that, a Wilder victory sets up a potentially even bigger event: Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua, the fight between two enormous punchers that fans have anticipated for years.

Of course, Wilder and Fury might do it a third time. The loser can demand it based on a clause in their contract. It would be well received. And a Fury victory would set up a potential all-England superfight between him and Joshua.

The point here is that Wilder vs. Joshua is bigger than Fury vs. Joshua, which would be huge in the U.K. but not quite the global event that Wilder-Joshua would be and certainly not as compelling in terms of what fans could anticipate in the ring.

Some might point out that Floyd Mayweather didn’t have a style conducive to action yet he became the face of the sport. Well, one, Mayweather was the best boxer of his generation. That can’t be said of Fury. And, two, Mayweather was the ultimate polarizing figure. It didn’t matter whether you loved him or hated him, you tuned in when he fought.

And Muhammad Ali wasn’t known as a big puncher yet became the most iconic figure in boxing history. C’mon, as compelling as Fury is, he’d be the first to admit he’s no Muhammad Ali.

Make no mistake: Fury is compelling. Bob Arum, who knows a thing or two about promotions, did compare Fury to Ali in terms of his ability to sell himself and a fight. No doubt. Fury’s personality is magnetic.

That’s not where the proposition ends, though. Once the opening bell rings, Fury’s gift of gab gives way to a hit-and-not-be-hit style that gets the job done but doesn’t lift fans out of their seats the way a big right hand from Wilder does.

Maybe that’s part of the reason Fury has promoted the idea of stopping Wilder. He fired trainer Ben Davison and hired a mentor known to encourage power punching, SugarHill Steward. He says he’s bulked up for the rematch. And he’s predicting a second-round knockout.

Imagine if that happens, imagine Wilder flat on his back. If it happens, Fury vs. Joshua would become a much bigger event. That’s a big “if,” though.

Wilder has stopped all but one of the opponents he has faced in his career. He is coming off two of the most breathtaking stoppages in recent years, one-punch knockouts Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz. He’s done it again and again … and again.

Until Fury can demonstrate he has the ability to provide thrills beyond winning decisions and getting up from knockdowns, Wilder is the man.

The Boxing Junkie Analysis: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II: All officials will be American

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury get physical at news conference

Tyson Fury dismisses notion that he has had problems in camp

Tyson Fury dismissed talk that there were difficulties in his Las Vegas camp for his rematch with Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

Tyson Fury says he has had no problems in preparing for the heavyweight rematch with Deontay Wilder Saturday on Fox/ESPN pay-per-view. His only problem is with anybody who says there was trouble in his training camp

Fury dismissed talk from promoter Eddie Hearn that there were difficulties in his Las Vegas camp for the fight at the MGM Grand.

Hearn, of Matchroom Boxing, told U.K. media that he had changed his pick, from Fury to Wilder, because he had heard there were issues.

Nonsense, Fury says.

“I’m more dedicated for this fight than I’ve ever been,’’ Fury told Fight Hub TV.

There have been questions about whether Fury has had enough time to develop a working relationship with trainer SugarHill Steward, who he hired to succeed Ben Davison in mid-December.

Davison was in Fury’s corner for the controversial draw with Wilder about 15 months ago at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Davison was fired three months after Fury sustained a deep cut above his right eye in a surprisingly difficult decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.

“It was a great move,’’ Fury said of the decision to go with Steward, who named himself after his legendary uncle, Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and at the best timing as well.’

Fury already knew SugarHill Steward from his days at Steward’s Kronk Gym in Detroit in 2010. Fury said he and his new trainer were able to pick up where they left off.

‘I can’t prepare any better than I have for this fight,’’ Fury said. “There’s no more I can do. I’m getting to bed early, I’m waking up early. I’m eating all the right food, drinking tons of water. I’m having vitamins, I’m having minerals – everything that a fighter needs in order to be successful.

“I’ve got the right sparring partners. I’ve got tall guys, I’ve got powerful guys, I’ve got awkward guys. I’ve got one in, one out, I’ve got eight in a row. I’ve got the trainer in there. I’ve got my brothers. I’ve got my friends. I’ve got everything you could ever need. I’m happy in my own mind.’’

Deontay Wilder convinced Tyson Fury nervous ahead of rematch

Deontay Wilder believes Tyson Fury is nervous because of the late knockdowns he suffered in their first fight.

Deontay Wilder hears the promises. He sees the changes. Tyson Fury is tireless, a whirlwind of talk and taunts, predictions and punch lines.

Fury has a new trainer. He says he has a plan to fight in a way that he never has. He says he will acquire power that he has never displayed. He soaks his hands in fuel. He is unconventional and often unbelievable.

But Wilder says he isn’t fooled.

Wilder sees a nervous man.

Nervous, Wilder says, about a rematch on Feb. 22 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand that will force Fury to again encounter power that dropped him twice 15 months ago.

“Deep down in his heart, I feel he’s nervous,’’ Wilder said Tuesday during a conference call for the Fox/ESPN pay-per-view rematch of their heavyweight draw Dec. 1, 2018 in Los Angeles. “I feel he’s very, very nervous from the first time. You knock a person out and give him a concussion, you never forget that.

“When you walk back into the ring a second time to relive that moment, it has to be stressful. You definitely can’t sleep at night.’’

Fury got up both times. He survived that power, especially in the 12^th-round when he woke up and climbed back onto his feet with rare resilience.

“This time, he’s not getting up,’’ Wilder said. “I promise you that.’’

Fury, who believes he was robbed of victory on the scorecards in Los Angeles, goes into the rematch with SugarHill Steward in his corner instead of trainer Ben Davison. The change, one of many for Fury, was made because he says he wants to add punching power, especially to his right hand. Steward learned from his mentor and namesake Emanuel Steward, the late Hall of Famer who preached power was the best way to avoid a controversial decision.

But promised power suggests that Fury will be more aggressive, especially early. In fact, he predicted a second-round knockout of Wilder, whose right hand might be as powerful as any in history.

“I think it’s nervous energy from the first fight,’’ Wilder said. “He says he beat me. But he doesn’t really think that. He honestly doesn’t really believe that. That’s why he wants to change up a lot of things. If he really, really believes he beat me, he wouldn’t change so much. He changes trainers. Now, he’s putting his hands in gasoline to make them harder. He’s brought so many people into his camp. There’s so much going on it’s hard to keep up with all the changes.

“Next thing, he’s going to see a spiritual advisor to ease his mind about what’s going to happen to him and his body come Feb. 22.’’

Punching power doesn’t come from a spiritual advisor. A few weeks in the gym with a new trainer won’t produce it either, says Wilder, who was born with it.

“I’ve said it before, he has ‘pillow-esque’ fists,’’ he said. “That’s how soft they are. Maybe my adrenalin was too high. But I didn’t feel anything. Even after the fight, I didn’t feel anything. I took all his punches, the ones that he landed. Walked through them. I don’t respect none of the power he has. He’s just a tall big man who can move around the ring.

“As far as power, it’s not there.’

Tyson Fury admits cut will be question mark in fight with Deontay Wilder

Tyson Fury admitted he can’t judge how much risk he faces against Deontay Wilder as a result of the cut he suffered against Otto Wallin.

The bloody question persists.

Tyson Fury knows it’s coming. Only Deontay Wilder will deliver the answer on Feb. 22 in a Fox/ESPN pay-per-view rematch. The cut above Fury’s right eye has been healing for nearly five months since he needed 47 stitches for a wound sustained on Sept. 14 in a decision over Otto Wallin.

A month ago, he told Boxing Junkie that the eye was a risk. A week ago, he told Sky Sports that he couldn’t judge how much of risk it would be when the first blow lands two weeks from now.

“The eye is doing well,” Fury said. “The eye is healed up quite well. Is there any risk? I don’t know because I am not a surgeon. I am sure there will be. There is nothing much I can do about that.

“If it opens, up it opens up. It’s out of my control. There is nothing I can do about that eye opening in a fight.”

It’s not clear if Fury has a tactical plan to account for the risk. It’s not clear if there is one. He’s been working with new trainer SugarHill Steward in an attempt to add power to his punches, especially his right hand. He has talked about an early end to the heavyweight fight, predicting a knockout of Wilder within two rounds. It’s hard to know what will happen, but it’s safe to assume that Wilder will target that scar.

“Most definitely,’’ Wilder said. “I mean, that’s what you do. “I will absolutely be using that cut as a target, and I am definitely going to open it up again. I will make sure I open that one up and I’ll make sure I open a new one up, too.

“It’s going to be a bloody night for him, and all I can say to him is: ‘Buddy rest up.’ You’re going to need it, it’s going to be a long and painful night.”

Tyson Fury won’t risk opening cut in training camp

Tyson Fury expects to weigh 270 pounds for Deontay Wilder rematch

Tyson Fury expects to be nearly 14 pounds heavier for his rematch with Deontay Wilder than he was for their controversial draw in 2018.

Tyson Fury and his new trainer, SugarHill Steward, continue to say the plan is to knock out Deontay Wilder in their rematch on Feb. 22. Now, Fury has added several reasons to suggest he’s serious.

Fury expects to be nearly 14 pounds heavier for the Fox/ESPN pay-per-view bout than he was for the controversial draw with Wilder about 14 months ago at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Fury told the Bart And Hahn Show, an ESPN talk show in New York, Wednesday that he is currently at 270 pounds. He said he expects to be at that weight at opening bell.

He also posted a photo of himself on Instagram, looking fit and fight-ready. “Solid as a rock 19 stone, 270lbs coming for @bronzebomber,” he says.

For the first fight, Fury was at 256½, or 13½ pounds lighter than his projected weight for the rematch at Las Vegas MGM Grand. The additional pounds might be a sign he is trying to augment his power.

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He predicted at the first formal news conference last month for Fury-Wilder II that he would score a second-round knockout of Wilder. That one generated some predictable skepticism, straight out of Fury-being-Fury. He says a lot of things. Why would he try to counter Wilder’s singular power with power he has never shown? He’s a boxer who was ahead on the scorecards before Wilder knocked him down twice, first in the ninth round and again in the 12th.

Why not just do for 12 rounds what had worked so well for eight? Stay away and win a decision. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom. But Fury is anything but conventional. He said he fired trainer Ben Davison and hired Steward because he wants more power in his right hand. Steward’s mentor and namesake is the late Emanuel Steward, who taught power, first and foremost.

Fury, who says he was robbed in the first fight, has already said he doesn’t believe he can win a decision in the United States.

“He doesn’t want that again,’’ SugarHill Steward told iFL TV. “I don’t want it. I wasn’t raised that way. Emanuel always taught me: ‘Get the knockout.’

“That’s the only 100 percent way you know you won the fight, by taking it out of the hands of the judges. I thought Tyson did enough to win the fight, even though he was knocked down twice. I’m not mad at the decision, because I was always taught: ‘Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges.’‘’

Ben Davison on Tyson Fury: ‘The friendship remains’

Ben Davison said his working relationship with Tyson Fury is over but their friendship remains.

Ben Davison is Tyson Fury’s former trainer. But there’s nothing former about the friendship, he says.

Davison repeated that his friendship with Fury is as strong as ever in the wake of their surprising split last month before the Feb. 22 rematch with Deontay Wilder on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view was formally announced late last month.

“We had a working relationship,’’ Davison told iFL TV. “We don’t have a working relationship now. But I think everybody knew that we had a friendship and the friendship remains.’’

Fury caused a stir Monday at a news conference in Los Angeles when he said he was looking to knock out Wilder in two rounds at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“If I wasn’t, I would have kept Ben Davison,’’ Fury said. “I’m sick of points decisions. I’ve had plenty, but I’m looking to knock him out.”

In firing Davison and hiring SugarHill Steward, Fury hopes to work on his power. Steward, a student of Kronk Gym’s late Emanuel Steward, comes from the Kronk’s school of power punching. In Los Angeles, Fury, who said he believed he could not win a decision in the United States, talked about taking out Wider with “a Tommy Hearns-like right.’’

In the U.K., Fury’s comments were interpreted as a slight directed at Davison, who was in Fury’s corner for the controversial draw with Wilder Dec. 1, 2018 at Staples Center.

“I understand Tyson’s got a hell of a lot of fans and they might want to know this, know that, but, like I say, there’s no need to go into details,’’ said Davison, who says he will be back in U.K. super middleweight Billy Joe Saunders’ corner. “The working relationship has come to an end and we’re still friends.”

KO artist Shohjahon Ergashev headlines ShoBox card

Shohjahon Ergashev, the 140-pound contender from Uzbekistan, is scheduled to face Adrian Estrella in a 10-round bout Friday in Sloan, Iowa

Shohjahon Ergashev has passed every test so far. Next up is a tough Mexican.

Ergashev, the left-handed junior welterweight contender from Uzbekistan, is scheduled to face Adrian Estrella in a 10-round bout Friday in Sloan, Iowa, on ShoBox: The New Generation.

Ergashev (17-0, 15 KOs) appears to have unusual tools. He was an accomplished amateur — with a reported record of 202-14 — and the punching power suggested by his professional record. He can outbox you, he can knock you out.

Now all the Detroit-based fighter needs is a test against an elite opponent. Estrella isn’t that foe but he’s capable.

“I would like to fight the best possible opponents,” Ergashev said. “I’m coming to fight not simply to collect money and win the fight. Every time I’m in the ring, I want to destroy my opponent.

“I understand that there might be better boxers in my weight class, but I’m ready to fight them.”

Shohjahon Ergashev is pictued unloading on Zhimin Wang in 2018. Elsa / Getty Images

Ergashev, 28, said he continues to grow as a fighter under the direction of SugarHill Steward, who has started working with Tyson Fury.

“It has been a big difference for me as professional boxer during the last year,” he said. “I started listening. I was not listening before, I was just stepping in the ring and trying to knock my opponent out.

“Sugarhill didn’t allow me to continue sparring because I was not listening. But after my last fight, I started listening.”

He added that the addition of Fury hasn’t been a problem for him.

“That hasn’t affected me,” he said. “It has only helped me. Theotrice Chambers, Richard Phillips and the entire Kronk Gym team have taken over these past few weeks but Sugarhill is here with me now and will be in my corner on Friday night.”

Estrella (29-4, 24 KOs) will be moving back down to 140 pounds after losing a majority decision to Tony Luis at 147 in his most-recent fight. He has lost three of his past four bouts.

“This is a second chance for me,” Estrella said. “I was once 22-0 and now I’m back. I blew past Christmas and New Year’s and am so focused. I have been disciplined. I have done it before and I will get it done on Friday night.”

Vladimir Shishkin (left) faces Ulises Sierra in a scheduled 10-round bout. Dave Mandel / Showtime

In a co-feature featuring unbeaten fighters, super middleweight prospect Vladimir Shishkin (9-0, 6 KOs) faces Ulises Sierra (15-0-2, 9 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout.

Shishkin, a Detroit-based Russian, is coming off an eighth-round knockout of DeAndre Ware in August. He also works with Steward, the nephew of the late Emanuel Steward.

“Working with Sugarhill has been incredible for me,” he said. “I’ve been improving my strength and movement especially. He’s the best trainer I’ve ever had.

“I looked at the American stars … Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. growing up and they are who I model myself after.”

Sierra, a 30-year-old from San Diego, has built a reputation as a good sparring partner but wants more than that.

“Andre Ward was my first big camp and I’ve sparred with a lot of champions,” he said. “But I’m not a sparring partner. I don’t have that mentality. I figure if I’m going to spar with someone, it might as well be with the best. I’ve been in three Canelo [Alvarez] camps. And I’ve also sparred with David Benavidez.

“I get to see how they train and what they do and what makes them great. Canelo is the best of them. Just his technique and his preparation. He’s always on point and works on everything he’s told to do. They are all great champions.

“This is a great opportunity for me. I never get the calls for shows like this, and I don’t know why that is. This is my chance to shine and could change everything for me.”

Deontay Wilder: Tyson Fury’s change of trainers sign of trouble

Deontay Wilder says Tyson Fury’s decision to fire trainer Ben Davison is a sign that he’s nervous about his chances in their Feb. 22 rematch

Deontay Wilder looks at change in Tyson Fury’s corner and sees turmoil. But Fury embraces change, calling it an inevitable step in a never-ending quest to get better.

Wilder says Fury’s surprising decision to fire trainer Ben Davison and hire SugarHill Steward is a sign that he’s nervous about his chances in their Feb. 22 rematch on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view.

“He changes trainers like he changes his drawers,’’ Wilder said at a news conference this week in Los Angeles, just across the street from where they fought to a controversial draw more than 13 months ago at Staples Center.

But, Wilder suggests, the move from one trainer to another will only leave Fury dizzy and without answers.

“If he beat me, then why all the new trainers?’’ Wilder said. “Every day it changes. Firing and hiring. He wants to talk about being out of shape the first time, but he was in great shape. He spent 100,000 [British] pounds on all those camps.

“I still to this day have the same people with me and I don’t need to change it.’’

Wilder has always been with Jay Deas and began working with Mark Breland in 2008. A familiar face in the corner is believed to be a significant, yet intangible factor, especially amid the pressure and potential adversity in a big fight. For Wilder and Fury, no fight is bigger than their rematch.

Fury says Steward is a familiar face. He got to know him years ago while sparring at the Kronk Gym for SugarHill’s namesake and mentor, the late Emanuel Steward.

The change in Fury’s corner was prompted by what happened in the bloody decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Fury’s father complained that his son looked unprepared. He blamed Davison, saying a change was necessary if his son hoped to beat Wilder in a rematch. Three months later, Davison was gone.

Fury said he was ready to move on anyway. He said he had grown stale.

“You’re never a finished article,’’ Fury said. “You can always improve. I like to keep freshening things up every now and again. I don’t make excuses. I won fair and square and we get to do it again. I’m ready for a fight today.

“I’m looking for a knockout. That’s why I hired SugarHill. He gets you to sit down on that big right hand. That’s what I’m looking for. There’s the game plan. If I wasn’t looking for a knockout, I would have sharpened up what I did in the last fight. I’m not coming for that. I’m looking for my 21st knockout.’’

Frank Warren comfortable with Tyson Fury’s change of trainers

Promoter Frank Warren said he’s fully confident Tyson Fury “knows what he’s doing in bringing in Javan SugarHill Steward.”

A new trainer is sometimes interpreted as a sign of uncertainty, if not turmoil, but Tyson Fury promoter Frank Warren is comfortable with Fury’s decision to fire Ben Davison and hire SugarHill Steward before the heavyweight rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22.

No worries, Warren says

“I know there is some concern about Fury changing trainers ahead of such a colossal clash,’’ Warren told The Mirror, a U.K. publication. “I’m certainly sad to see him split with Ben Davison because the pair were great together.

“But when Fury appointed Davison as the man to help him get back to the top many questioned him using such a young trainer. How wrong they were.’’

Davison was a key in helping Fury fight his way back into the championship mix after he slipped into a lifestyle that included more drugging, drinking and dining than training. Fury was reportedly about 400 pounds about a year before his controversial draw with Wilder on Dec. 1, 2018 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

But a difficult decision over then-unknown Otto Wallin on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas generated widespread criticism of Davison in a fight that left Fury badly bloodied. On Dec. 15, Davison was fired and Steward was hired.

Fury, who says he is already in camp for the rematch, said he made the move because he had grown “stale.’’ He said he already had a relationship with Steward, the former Javan Hill and a nephew of the late Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward.

“I am fully confident he knows what he’s doing in bringing in Javan SugarHill Steward to take the corner for the Wilder rematch,’’ Warren said. “Few fighters know what’s best for them (more) than Fury and he will not have made the decision lightly.”