Tyson Fury taking unnecessary risks mentally, physically and

If there’s anything predictable about the historically unpredictable boxing journey of Tyson Fury, it’s that the WBC heavyweight champion rarely lets a day go by without successfully controlling the current narrative at play. 

So it should come as no surprise that as the “Gyspy King” prepares to snap an eight-month layoff on Saturday in a trilogy fight against faded contender Dereck Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs), most pundits have focused more on the debate — conveniently created by the champion, himself — about whether Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) is mentally fit to fight instead of complaining why this largely unnecessary bout is even taking place. 

The truth regarding the latter is quite simple. Fury, 34, chose against waiting an additional four months for unified champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0,13 KOs), the man who twice upset Anthony Joshua to seize control of the division, to heal from injuries before signing on for the first four-belt undisputed championship bout in heavyweight history. Instead, Fury fancied a stay-busy warmup against an opponent he has already decisively beaten twice, including once via stoppage in 2014. 

No one would’ve chastised Fury, of course, had he just been honest about his intentions at the outset. But Fury wasn’t. In fact, the largely manic six-month period before the Chisora trilogy was officially announced saw Fury alternate on almost a daily basis between public threats of retirement and offers to the recently defeated Joshua regarding a super fight that often felt disingenuous.

Will Fury, who has been installed as a -2500 betting favorite, collect a third victory over the 38-year-old Chisora and move directly into negotiations with the highest international bidder (given his American travel ban due to connections to alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan) against Usyk? Or does his constant flip-flopping on the topic suggest he’s just as likely to retire or…