MUHAMMAD ALI, if he were alive, would urge Tyson Fury NOT to rush into a world title fight with Deontay Wilder.
After 2½ years out of the ring, heavyweight Fury came back in June against Sefer Seferi — Albania’s second-best cruiserweight — and, inevitably, we were treated to far more clowning than clouting.
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Fury joked through four passive rounds, as if he was taking part in a music hall act, before Seferi sensibly quit in case boxing’s Mr Marmite decided to get serious.
You either love Fury or you hate him.
No doubt most of the 24,000 crowd will be roaring their delight watching him dispose of Francesco Pianeta at Belfast’s Windsor Park tomorrow night.
Pianeta, 33, a German-based Italian is many rungs above Seferi — at least he’s a 6ft 5in true heavyweight who, five years ago, took on Wladimir Klitschko for the title.
He managed to last six rounds. Fury will probably see him off just as easily.
We can then expect him to be confirmed as a challenger for Wilder’s WBC heavyweight crown in Las Vegas in November.
It has always been my belief that the Fury who outfoxed Wlad would beat Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
But if he is ever going to get back to that high standard, it will take him at least 18 months and half-a-dozen fights.
Fury, before he met Seferi, managed to remove seven stones of blubber, yet he still weighed more than 21st.
He will probably weigh less on the scales this afternoon.
But being fit to fight doesn’t make him fighting fit.
You need to be in the condition of your life to take on the unbeaten Wilder, the hardest and most dangerous puncher on the planet.
Forget the Seferi farce.
Fury is planning to tackle Wilder after only one legitimate fight and just five months after making his comeback.
Many good judges say it’s mission impossible.
Ali tried something similar nearly 50 years ago and failed.
After being in exile for three years and seven months, he came back and stopped two top-ten fighters — Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena.
The Greatest, five months after coming back, thought he was ready to take back his title from Joe Frazier.
But he found he was taking on too much, too soon.
He was unanimously outpointed and his unbeaten record was gone.
Tyson Fury pretends to threaten Francesco Pianeta with a chair and then squeezes his chest as the two face off
In total, it took Ali four years and 17 fights before he reclaimed his title by knocking out George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle.
Foreman took much longer to regain a version of the crown.
It was seven years and 29 fights after he came back following a ten-year retirement before he KO’d Michael Moorer.
No one can blame Fury for not refusing the opportunity Wilder has given him.
Even if he should lose to Wilder it won’t lessen the box-office appeal of a domestic grudge-match with Joshua.
And if he should return from the US with the WBC belt, AJ and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, who have refused a Wilder fight, would take some time scraping the egg off their faces.
It would be a huge ask for Fury, who has just turned 30.
Perhaps he can take heed of the words of the late philosopher, Sir Bernard Williams, who said: “You are mature when you know what is foolhardy and what is courage.”
Frank Warren confirms that Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury is very close to being rubber-stamped
