By Jonathan Rashman: The much anticipated fight all boxing fans want to see finally got announced last Saturday night. The Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder fight is a colossal battle 3 years in the making. There are legitimate reasons on both sides why this fight shouldn’t be happening in the present moment, which I am going to delve into, however, there are also reasons why the timing of this fight is perfect for both fighters.
Let’s first look at WBC and undefeated champion Deontay Wilder (40 wins – 39 KO’s- 0 losses). Wilder has amassed a formidable record of 40 wins with a jaw dropping 98% knock out ratio. As much of an impressive record this is, in my opinion, Wilder has the most protected record in boxing history, yes, to knock out 39 out of 40 boxers shows his explosive one-punch power, however, there is only one name on his record that stands out (Luis Ortiz) which ended up being his best win to date, but also showed his vulnerabilities.
Wilder is on the verge of one of the biggest fights in recent heavyweight history against IBF,WBA,& WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, by taking on fury now is somewhat of a gamble as a loss shatters the lucrative Joshua bout and puts Fury vs. Joshua as the new biggest fight in recent heavyweight history. In Financial terms I believe this is a gamble worth taking, as a win against Fury puts Wilder in a much better position at the negotiation table in the Joshua fight. At the moment Joshua is the A side in a unification fight against Wilder, ultimately this is the major reason amongst others why Joshua vs. Wilder is not happening next, however, a victory against Fury will raises his profile to astronomical levels and puts him in a 50 -50 split against Joshua, dispelling the A side myth.
In Boxing terms this is the perfect time for Wilder to take on Fury. It is no secret the demons Tyson Fury has battled outside the boxing ring in the last 3 years. Anyone who has ever been around professional boxing will tell you this fight is way too early in his comeback, yes, Fury has defied all the odds to even be lacing up the gloves again after ballooning to 27 stone. It really is a remarkable story, a tale as old as time, a real underdog story. As much of a great story this is, Wilder will be licking his lips at the thought of fighting a 60% Tyson Fury. In my opinion, a 100% Fury schools Wilder easily with his combination of fast hands and incredible lateral movement.
The Wilder team will be banking on Fury not having the footwork to avoid the bombs that Wilder will be detonating on his chin. Even though Fury has tremendous footwork and is very elusive to catch, he has always been prone to an overhand right, which Wilder processes, albeit thrown wildly, but has devastating consequences for any living person it connects on. Wilder from a technical point of view is awful to watch, clumsy footwork, throws wild looping shots which in turn knocks himself of balance & has a very poor defense. In a strange sort of way all these negatives are actually positives for Wilder as this makes him very unpredictable, with punches raining down from all sorts of crazy angles, combined with his explosive power makes anyone who can’t get out of the way of his shots a very vulnerable target, who is very a very vulnerable heavyweight at the moment? Who has 3 years of ring rust to shift? Who has potentially not got the punch resistance he once had? We all know that man is Tyson Fury which makes this the perfect time for Wilder to take on Fury.