Tyson Fury has promised not to let new opponent Joey Abell derail him from his summer showdown with Dereck Chisora at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, February 15 in London, UK.
Fury was due to face Gonzalo Omar Basile but the Argentine has withdrawn because of a lung infection, instead he will face the American Abell over ten rounds on the card headlined by Chisora’s WBO/WBA International title defense against Kevin Johnson.
If Chisora and Fury come through their respective fights then it will set up the blockbuster rematch between the two rival heavyweights which could also be a final eliminator for the WBO World title for the right to fight long-reining ruler Wladimir Klitschko.
Abell, from Minnesota, has halted 28 opponents out of the 29 wins on his 35-fight career record. The 6′ 4″ southpaw gave IBF No. 1 ranked challenger Kubrat Pulev some early problems in their IBF International title fight in December before being stopped in the fifth round.
Wilmslow puncher Fury, who has stopped 15 out of 21 opponents, is looking forward to getting back in the ring after almost a year since his thrilling shoot-out against Steve Cunningham in his American debut.
“Abell is big and he can punch,” Fury said. “Just what I want on my comeback. One thing I do respect about him is his power. He’s got a great knockout record and in the heavyweights it only takes one shot to turn things around. He’ll have confidence in seeing that I was floored by Cunningham and he’ll want to have a good go, he likes to get things done early with a lot of knockouts coming in the first few rounds. Who knows? He could land one on me. This is his big chance to make a name and upset the future of the heavyweight division.
“I love these American opponents. They have all the talk, but I hope and pray that he does bring it on and comes at me swinging away because it will be one hell of a tear up. There’s one thing I don’t come off second best on and that’s a fight. I’m in perfect shape though and even though Abell is a late substitute there’s no way he’ll knock me off course for my summer rendezvous with Mr. Chisora who’s got his own Yank to deal with in Johnson. I’ll do my job and if he’s does his then we’re all set for a summer settler.”
An action packed card at the Copper Box Arena features super-middleweight star Frank Buglioni defending his WBO European title against Gaetano Nespro, plus Bradley Skeete in a showdown against former world champion Vivian Harris for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Welterweight title. An all-star line up features former amateur star and unbeaten pro Thomas Stalker, Tyson Fury’s cousin and undefeated heavyweight sensation Hughie Fury, plus top talents Lewis Pettitt, Georgie Kean, Billy Morgan and Steve Collins, Jr.
