By Scott Gilfoid: Tyson Fury (23-0, 17 KOs) says he’ll face WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) next if the money is to his liking for the fight, although Fury is still leaning in the direction of facing IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in the near future if Fury gets past #3 WBO Christian Hammer (17-3, 10 KOs) on February 28th.
Fury figures that he’s worked so hard and chased Klitschko so long that he might as well face him.
If Fury faces Wladimir then it’s pretty much academic that there won’t be a Wilder-Fury fight in the near future, because Fury will almost surely lose to Wladimir unless there’s an injury or some sort for the Ukrainian fighter. That’s the cold reality of it.
Fury is underequipped to compete against a big puncher with talent like Klitschko, and it would be a sick mismatch in my estimation. That’s why it’s so important for Fury to face Wilder now, because unless he does that, then we’re probably looking at least two years of rebuilding for the 6’9” Fury after he gets knocked out by Wladimir.
“If the Wilder fight is put to me I’ll take it because it’s a world title fight, but I am mandatory and I have worked six years to be mandatory for Wladimir,” Fury said via Skysports.com’s Toe 2 Toe podcast.
When asked if he’d be willing to face the 6’7” Wilder, Fury said “Yes, if the money was right and it made sense.”
I think it’s safe to say that the Fury-Wilder fight is a much bigger one than the Fury-Klitschko fight. Sure, Fury can fight Wladimir in Germany in front of a large crowd, but will Fury be able to enjoy a portion of the gate money for the fight or will that mostly go to Wladimir?
In the case of Fury facing Wilder, they can stage the fight in the UK in front of a large crowd and make it a pay-per-view bout, and it would likely make a ton of money. I think Fury makes more money fighting Wilder than he does Klitschko.
Fury doesn’t have the power to compete against either Wilder or Wladimir, but he at least will get a good payday if he faces Wilder. That fight could be really big if the two of them do a good job marketing the fight in the UK and the U.S.
Wilder recently defeated WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne last Saturday by a dominating 12 round decision. Wilder’s poise in that fight was that of a fighter who’d been at it for a long time. The poise that Wilder showed reminded me of a young Muhammad Ali in the ring. Wilder was in full command from start to finish, and never worried by Stiverne.
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