Tommy Fury's highly anticipated crossover showdown with Eddie Hall is set to take place over six two-minute rounds, a format that clearly advantages the former World's Strongest Man at first glance.
Fight Details and Rules
Hall will make his Misfits Boxing debut against Fury on Saturday in Manchester. The 38-year-old previously claimed he will outweigh his opponent by over 120lb, leading many to question how the contest will work in terms of stipulations.
The 'Beast' provided a major update on the official fight rules, telling talkSPORT earlier this year: "The fight will be with 12oz gloves and will be six, two-minute rounds. I will weigh in at whatever weight I am now to be honest. As long as I'm fit and in shape. It will probably be around the 150kg mark, there is no weight limit. With my diet, I've been a carnivore for a while now, so will be sticking to meat, eggs and dairy."
According to ESPN, the bout will be an exhibition contest, meaning the outcome will not count towards either fighter's professional record. If Fury were to lose, his record would still be 11-0 and he would remain unbeaten as a professional boxer.
Advantages for Hall
With Hall confirming there are no weight restrictions in place, the official stipulations could well work in his favour from the moment the opening bell sounds. Hall can focus on arriving in peak condition, given that he will not need to cut any weight or drain himself ahead of the bout. On top of that, the shorter rounds will undoubtedly play a huge role in his overall performance.
Traditionally in men's boxing, each round lasts three minutes, but the 120 seconds of fight time per round will enable the former World's Strongest Man to throw everything at his opponent without needing to conserve energy.
Background of the Bout
Many within the boxing community were left stunned when the bout was announced, having assumed the two were on reasonably friendly terms after previously training together. Hall, however, shed light on precisely why the fight came about, rooted in a dispute with the Fury family after he called out Tyson for a bout inside the MMA cage.
"I bumped into John and I had the conversation about fighting Tyson, I saw he was training MMA," he said on his YouTube channel. "I was trying to instigate the fight but it rubbed him up the wrong way. But things got a little heated. Things got a little bit heated. You're all full of s***. You're just all full of f***ing talk. You all walk around like hard men like you're gonna beat this guy down, beat that guy down, you'll fight anyone, you're fighting men. There's not a lot of action, especially from John."
"I'd like to shut your dad up and put you in your place and then maybe I'll get the Tyson Fury MMA fight. Sorry it has come to this but sometimes men have to settle their differences. This is not a friendly encounter. I want to go in there and prove a point."
