Tyson Fury & WWE: 3 reasons why the 'Gypsy King' is right to do this

The predictions were confirmed this week that Tyson Fury would take part in a huge show in Saudi Arabia, and before big British heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua. Fury is taking a different route however, ’wrestling’ Braun Strowman - who could easily pass as the traveller’s relation - on WWE’s Crown Jewel event in the nation on October 31.

Fury has been a recent highlight of WWE’s flagship TV shows and here are three key reasons why this is a good move for him.

Easy money
Fury is not about to go on the road, enduring the rigours of house show life. It is one major card, for which Fury, appearing in one of the top two matches, will be well compensated. Given Tyson has no ’working’ experience, and little time to learn much beyond the fundamentals of how to throw a choreographed punch (they looked awful on WWE TV recently), run the ropes and how to fall safely, you can expect his match to be short and basic, significantly reducing any risk to him. Dance partner Stowman is a reliable hand and should not present much danger to a Fury whose face is still healing from the two horrendous cuts suffered against Otto Wallin in September.

US profile
A WWE feud, culminating in a Wrestlemania match with The Big Show, was a significant part of Floyd Mayweather solidifying his materialistic "Money" persona to a wider audience. Initially portrayed as the babyface (good guy), so effortlessly obnoxious was the legendary fighter that WWE was forced to turn him heel. WWE’s weekly Smackdown series has recently moved to Fox Sports which has a huge subscriber base and could feasibly handle the Wilder vs Fury 2 ppv, while the WWE Network, that will broadcast Crown Jewel, boasts around 1.7m subs. This whole affair should do wonders for Fury’s US profile and, if he comes across well, can only help the marketing for the Wilder rematch.

Reason to stay in shape
Fury’s erratic attitude toward conditioning during his long absence from boxing is well documented but he has since lost a stack of weight and refrained from anything that will derail him physically. Key to this welcome period of abstinence and dedication has been the influence of trainer Ben Davison and relatively regular activity. With the facial injuries caused by Wallin and a projected earliest date of February to meet Wilder again, those two factors have been mitigated for the time being. The WWE experiment has afforded Tyson fresh motivation, a reason to maintain his cardio and, in a place where the aesthetic really matters and his opponent is a beast, perhaps a desire to preserve his lean physique.