BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	1.5pts on Fury to win in round five at 10/1 (Stan James).	Has beaten everyone inside schedule to date and will want to make a statement here.
	1.5pts on Fury to win in round six at 12/1 (Stan James).	See above.

Tyson Fury faces the first real test of his fledgling career on Friday night when he goes in with John McDermott for the English heavyweight title.

The Mancunian Traveller has won seven fights since turning pro in December 2008, all inside the distance, but takes a step up in class here against the capable McDermott.

'Big Bad John' is 23-5 (16) since making his own debut in 2000 and has boxed for the British heavyweight title three times.

In 2005 he was iced inside a round by Matt Skelton and since then he has lost twice on points to Danny Williams for the British belt.

The last of those defeats came back in May when McDermott lost a split decision up in Sunderland.

He is a betting outsider against Fury (top price 7/2) but he'll have his backers when he boxes on home turf in Brentwood. Supporters will point to the fact that McDermott has just gone 24 rounds with Williams, a notable banger in his prime, without ever looking in real trouble.

Fury isn't regarded as a particularly devastating puncher himself despite the fact that all his wins so far have come inside. He certainly doesn't punch with the same bad intentions of his namesake 'Iron' Mike Tyson. The theory is that McDermott may be able to drag him into unchartered waters by taking the fight into the latter stages before drowning Fury late on.

However while John took some big shots in those two Williams fights, truth be told the pace wasn't the hottest. And while Fury doesn't have devastating one-punch KO power, he has shown an ability to stun an opponent and then wade in with a 8-10 punch salvo, often forcing the referee to intervene.

This is a cracking domestic fight and should tell us plenty about just how much star quality young Fury has. He is just 21 and so eyebrows have been raised in some quarters about how quickly he is being pushed on.

To be fighting for the English belt after less than a year in the pro ranks, given his tender years, suggests his team have ultimate faith in him. He has done everything asked of him so far against a mixture of UK journeymen and foreign imports.

His best win to date was unquestionably his two-round demolition of Scott Belshaw back in May and he handled the 6'7 Irishman with consummate ease.

A back injury has hampered his progress recently but he's still the most active UK prospect out there right now. In a press statement released ahead of this one he said "My back is 100% again now and I've been working very hard in the gym. I'm really fired up for this, it's my first title fight and I want to win it in style."

Winning in "style" presumably means stopping McDermott and opinion is divided as to whether he has the tools to do so. McDermott definitely has the edge in terms of experience and he has been 10 rounds (the distance English title fights are contested over) four times already. Fury meanwhile has not been past four rounds as a pro to date.

It's possible that if Tyson doesn't get to McDermott early on and the fight goes past halfway that he may start to panic or run out of ideas. Fury is young and ambitious but to be fair he has hardly got what you might describe as a Charles Atlas body and there will be question marks surrounding his stamina until he proves he can box at a hot pace over a prolonged distance.

The fact that McDermott is boxing at home may also inspire the Essex boy. Fury will be well supported as usual but may find life a little more difficult as the 'away' fighter here. The big man is not concerned about fighting in Brentwood however, stating "they can put it on in McDermott's back garden as far as I'm concerned, the result will be the same. I'm going to be coming home with that English belt."

I'm inclined to agree with him. I don't feel Fury is being rushed into this. Yes he has all the time in the world to develop and gain some experience as at 21 he is virtual baby in heavyweight terms. However if you are good enough you are old enough and Fury has looked the goods to me as a pro so far.

McDermott going 12 rounds twice with Williams is fair enough but the latter's punch output has dropped right off in recent years and Fury will set a much hotter pace. McDermott is not the most elusive of targets either and I don't think he hits with enough authority to keep Fury off him.

'Big Bad John' has been stopped early twice (to Skelton and to Russian Nikolay Popov) and I reckon Fury might be ready to join that exclusive club.

I think McDermott might be intimidated by the sheer size and industry of Fury and see him getting bombed out in five or six rounds.