TOMMY FURY has been backed to emulate his legendary boxing brother Tyson by making it all the way to the top.
Fury is at last set to meet Jake Paul in the ring on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, having twice pulled out in the past due to injury and US visa issues.
Tommy Fury with dad John, Danny Christie and brother Roman
Tyson Fury is the undefeated WBC heavyweight championJamie McPhilimey
He sparred veteran bare-knuckle boxer Danny Christie in the build up to the celebrity grudge match.
And Christie was left blown away by young Fury’s talent, believing he has the same tools which took Tyson to boxing supremacy.
He told SunSport: “He’s very, very good at the basics and that’s what you need to master to reach the top level.
“Just look at his brother Tyson, he’s very, very good at the fundamentals; good jab, good movement and he’s able to frustrate fighters over a number of rounds.
“And I think Tommy has the potential to have those capabilities, as a 23-year-old kid, he’s very impressive.”
Fury has shown glimpses of the same tricky footwork and hand speed which has seen brother Tyson, 34, twice reign as an unbeaten world champion.
But having boxed up close and personal with the 8-0 prospect, Christie revealed it was the strength of the man which caused him so much shock.
He said: “I was more than impressed. I knew he was going to be decent but he was much better than decent. He was better in all areas that I thought he was going to be.
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“I was very impressed with his jab, his movement, his feints, his power and his strengths.
“He’s very physically strong, I remember being in the clinch with him and it was almost like he had roots, it was like a tree in the ground.
“He was very strong and a very physical young man. I was impressed in all areas.
“He was much better than I’ve seen him on the TV and apparently he’s the best version of himself right now and it certainly showed in the spar.”
Fury has prepared to fight Paul, 26, in Bolton at Alex Matvienko’s Elite Boxing Gym, where Christie was welcomed through the doors.
How to watch Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury: Date, UK start time, live stream, TV channel
And, from what he has seen, so long as Fury keeps his emotions intact Paul is facing a first boxing defeat.
He said: “I’m very confident he’ll get the win.
“But in my opinion, with this becoming a very personal affair he may become overzealous, he may – and I hope he doesn’t – go looking for the knockout.
“Once it turns into a firefight it’s anybody’s game and Jake Paul is a powerful lad as we know.
“But for me, the keys for victory for Tommy are just using his good boxing, using his good fundamentals, doubling and tripling up that jab.
“A lot of feints, a lot of movement and just busting him up over the first few rounds and just getting him frustrated and marking him up.
“I think Tommy can win quite easily if he sticks to his fundamentals but like I said, if it turns into a firefight, who knows? It’s anyone’s game.”
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Jake Paul facing off with Tommy FuryReuters Read More