At Windsor Park in Belfast, a capacity of over 24000 saw the former WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA “super” champion look a little bit better than those that saw him a couple months ago. Tyson Fury beat Francisco Pianeta by unanimous decision in the co-feature bout to the main event of Carl Frampton against Luke Jackson to stay undefeated and potentially be next in line for a huge bout with WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Fury posted a shutout score of 100-90 in this ten round affair against Pianeta, who lost his last fight in Munich Germany to Peter Milas by unanimous decision. It may not been what the fans were looking for, but Tyson Fury got some work in to see how good he was able to carry himself in ten rounds.

“I think it was a calculated boxing performance,” Fury said. “I was working on my jab, slipping his punches. I thought that was a step up with the opponent and display. I needed the rounds, and I had plenty left in the tank.”

The last time he went 10 rounds or more in a fight was back in November 2015, when he upset Wladimir Klitschko to win the unified heavyweight championships. Since then, he has gone through problems with drug use, drinking, and gaining over 100 pounds before returning to the ring. He won by TKO against Sefer Seferi in June before this fight, and this was viewed as a gauge to see what shape he was in before stepping into the ring against stiffer competition. He still may have a little ways to go before preparing for an potential battle with Wilder, who was at ringside to watch Fury in action.

There were times where Fury showed signs of his movement and versatility in his bout against Pianeta as he was able to switch from orthodox to southpaw on a few occasions, but it also opened him up for left hands by his opponent. It was not big enough to affect Fury as he still was able to coast through the fight with little issues.

Looking ahead to the future, it seems that Fury will be going up against Wilder in a fight that may decide who steps up to face current WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA “super” champion Anthony Joshua in April of next year. In the face-off between Fury and Wilder after the fight, they both promised a knockout.

It seems that for now, fans are looking forward to that clash.

Cover photo by Reuters