Fury v Wilder Preview
I’m not sure there’s much left that can be said about Tyson Fury. Most of it I’ve already gone through here but somewhere under that batman costume and all the other nonsense is a very accomplished and still unbeaten boxer. From his point of view he could have done with some tougher tune up fights but that’s a hard line to negotiate.
Finding willing opponents who are simultaneously a test but not too dangerous is far from easy. It’s fair to say the Fury camp failed there. This is still the man who Vladimir couldn’t lay a glove on and I expect him to show that when he faces Wilder.
Deontay Wilder
With that out of the way it’s now time to put the boot in on Wilder!
Sportsvox is the home of honest opinion so here’s mine – Wilder is a complete joke. He has fought nobody of any note, sorry Audley, with the tubby 39 year old Luis Ortiz being his last opponent. As a Cuban, Ortiz obviously has a bit about him and his record is good. However, between drug bans and generally being difficult to work with he’s not been very active. Wilder put him down in the end but check out round 7 to see how vulnerable the American is.
Wobbly Wilder
Now if Ortiz had landed that first punch at the start of the round he would’ve won the fight, of that I have no doubt. Wilder was clinging on for dear life and was grateful to hear the bell. Fury would probably have been able to shrug him off and finish the job. AJ would too as I suspect would Whyte or Chisora. Pretty sure Joseph Parker would beat him and if David Haye had gone for him straight away on his comeback I believe he could have sparked Wilder out as well. Wilder’s boxing ‘ability’ is extremely suspect, his weapon being that brutal right hand that has taken out all of his opponents so far.
Verdict
Having mesmerised Klitschko to the extent that he was afraid to throw a punch, I think Tyson willl be able to do the same to Wilder here. He’ll certainly be acutely aware of the power that the American possesses and move well enough to avoid taking it full on.
Fury’s size is obviously an advantage as is his ability to switch things up. My only concern is the lack of a meaningful warm-up, but I believe he can overcome that and win however he sees fit. From there he can go and meet Joshua in a summer super-fight next year. Wilder can then go back to beating up mascots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USWQ-BS4GsY
