John Scully: “I think in a rematch Tyson Fury would beat Deontay Wilder even easier!”

I recently had a chance to speak with former Light heavyweight contender and current trainer, ‘Iceman’ John Scully to discuss all the latest news going on in the sport. Besides training former world champions like Chad Dawson, Scully has worked with ESPN as an analyst and is one of the most respected people in the sport.

In part 1 of the interview, I talk about the recent fight by heavyweight superstar Tyson Fury. John shares his thoughts on Fury’s performance and how he’s looked in his comeback. John also gives his views on a Fury-Wilder rematch and a prediction for how the fight plays out. Additionally, ‘Iceman’ breaks down Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Andy Ruiz and discusses how the fight could play out in the rematch. Here is what John Scully had to say.

Robert Brown: What did you think of Tyson Fury’s last performance?

John Scully: I think he looked good. He did what he was supposed to do and he was trying to put some emphasis on it to raise his profile a little bit, in terms of getting a rematch with Wilder or one of the bigger fights. I think he did what he had to do. His ring entrance and his overall persona has made him many new fans. People want to see him again.

Robert Brown: A lot of people thought he won the first fight with Deontay Wilder. How do you think the second fight is going to go?

John Scully: I’ll say this, I thought he clearly won the fight — even with the knockdowns. He went down hard but he recovered and he got up in time, which nobody has been able to do. To do that so late in a fight when you’re tired in the twelfth round was even more impressive. I think now having outboxed Wilder in such a big way, I’d think he’d be more comfortable and confident. I think in a rematch he would beat him even easier.

Robert Brown: What do you think Wilder needs to do to get the win?

John Scully: In his last fight with Breazeale, even though it was short, I thought he improved. He set things up better, he was calmer and had better vision. I think if he continues to do that, he’s going to improve as well. Against the majority of guys, I think Wilder will be the winner. The only thing is, Fury has such an unorthodox style and he has that fearlessness and cockiness that I think is kind of the antidote to Wilder.

After having fought Wilder and gotten up from that knockdown, I think Wilder must be surprised that that happened. And also, people have to realize that when he got up from the knockdown, he hurt Wilder right after, he won the rest of the round. People don’t realize what it takes to actually do that. When the bell rang, Wilder was in a lot more trouble than Fury was.

Robert Brown: Were you as surprised as everyone else was when Andy Ruiz knocked out Anthony Joshua?

John Scully: My thing was this, I had watched some films on Ruiz and I had said that I thought he was a lot better than people are giving him credit for. For a heavy guy, he’s very fast and very agile, and he puts his punches together well. Still, I didn’t foresee that kind of loss, I didn’t think Joshua was going to lose in that manner.

Robert Brown: Do you think Anthony Joshua should go back to Madison Square Garden to have the rematch and face his demons there?

John Scully: It’s a business before anything and if they go back to London, I think they’re going to make huge money and if he were to win, it would be amazing for the country. But from a boxer’s standpoint, I think it would seem a little hollow because his first time out of the country, it goes terribly wrong. I think as a fighter you would want to overcome that. As a fighter, I would want to go back to New York or Las Vegas and try to win it there.

Robert Brown: Do you expect Joshua to win the rematch or do you give Ruiz another pretty good chance again?

John Scully: All things considered, I would like Ruiz in the rematch.