By Mike Smith: Deontay Wilder swapped out his old gold opera mask in favor of a scary black skeleton mask for his weigh-in last Friday for tonight’s fight against Tyson Fury at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The new look of the black mask is downright intimidating. Wilder looks like a sci-fi villain with the new mask. It’s definitely an upgrade from the gold opera mask that Wilder had been wearing for his ring walks and weigh-ins for the last several years.
Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) defends against Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) tonight on Showtime pay-per-view at 9:00 p.m ET/6:00 p.m. PT. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) didn’t even try to get close to Wilder during the weigh-in. Whether Wilder’s new mask had anything to do with that is open for debate. The mask is a scary one! The only thing that the 212.5 lb Wilder doesn’t have going for him is weight. He weighed in at the second lowest total of his career last Friday, and he’s unwittingly given the 256 lb. Fury his only chance of winning the fight. By coming into the fight so low, Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) has put himself at a distinct disadvantage against Fury, who outweighed him by 44 lbs at the weigh-in. If Wilder looks sensational in beating Fury tonight, he start a new trend where heavyweights try and lose as much weight as possible so that they can pick up some hand speed and agility. Wilder has the speed and agility going for him in an abundance. His boxing skills is the area that he’s lacking. However, Wilder’s punching power often makes up for what he lacks in the boxing skills department.
Wilder’s new mask is a nice addition, but without the weight to back it up, he could be in trouble tonight when he gets inside the ring with the much heavier Fury. After fighting much of his career in the 220s, Wilder has lost his way recently and is getting thinner with each fight. It’s unknown if that’s by design on his part, diet or simply him working too hard in training camp. There’s more pressure now on Wilder than their was when he first captured the World Boxing Council heavyweight title in 2015 in beating Bermane Stiverne by a 12 round unanimous decision.
The first two years of Wilder’s three-year title reign at the WBC champion, he defended his belt successfully against Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Gerald Washington and Stiverne [x 2]. But in 2018, Wilder stepped it up for the first time against Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz last March, and his dropped for that fight. It’s possible that Wilder was worried, so he worked harder during training camp. Wilder came into the Ortiz fight weighing 214 lbs, and he was outweighed by 27 lbs by the 241 lb. ‘King Kong.’ That’s a lot of weight to be giving away, but it’s not close to the 44 pounds that Wilder was outweighed by Fury. That’s significant. Fury’s weigh of 256 lbs is the lightest weight for him since he launched his comeback earlier this year after being out of the ring for close to three years.
The main reason Wilder and Fury were kept apart during the weigh-in last Friday was because of the scuffle that broke out during the final news conference on Wednesday, with security converging on the two fighters after their a heated argument during the face off. Things were a lot more tame for the weigh-in.
“Talk is cheap, tomorrow is time, actions speak louder than words,” Wilder said.
Deontay wants to see Fury backup his tough talk inside the ring tonight by standing and trading with him at center ring. Fury might be too smart for that. He’s very likely going to box Wilder like he did against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Fury will pick his spots to choose the right time to slug with Wilder, but it will be when he feels he’s safe and has the advantage. You can expect Fury to trade when he’s at close range, since Wilder has never shown the ability to punch with a lot of power when his opponents are close to him. Wilder needs to be at maximum distance on the outside for him to get the leverage on his power shots. When Wilder is in close, he’s just another small cruiserweight-sized heavyweight. He’s not a big puncher at all in close.
Wilder is taking a considerable risk at coming in the lightest weight since his professional debut in 2008. He either knows something the boxing public doesn’t know or he’s not training right. In most sports, if your opponent outweighs you by 40+ lbs, you’re going to be at a huge disadvantage. It’s not always that way in boxing, but it’s quite possible that it’ll be a problem for Wilder tonight. Fury isn’t just a big guy with no talent. He can actually fight, and he’s got the boxing ability to give Wilder fits.
It’s believed that Fury is going to try and use his weight advantage over Wilder when the two get in close. Fury will be able to lean on Wilder, and hit him with clubbing shots at close range. Wilder getting hit by a fighter weighing 44 lbs more than him could be a problem for him. Although Fury isn’t seen as a slugger by fans, the huge disparity in weight between the two fighters could be enough for him to do damage.
“Tomorrow I get to release everything that is inside of me. Definitely this the most important fight of my career, but I’ve fought tougher guys than him,” Wilder said. “This is just another step of me getting to where I want to go. I’m gonna knock him out.”
Wilder’s confusing decision to come in looking skin and bones, it could take away a lot of his punching power. Wilder looks like he’s been sacrificing muscle in training camp. He’s never had any fat on him during his career. So for Wilder to be down close to 15 lbs from the fighter he was two years ago, it’s very strange. The only explanation for Wilder coming in so low is he’s counting on using his lighter weight to chase a mobile Fury around the ring so that he can catch him with a big shot. Fury used a lot of movement in beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Wladimir lacked the mobility to catch up to Fury, but he also looked like he wasn’t even trying to. Wilder didn’t lose weight so that he could run around the ring and box Fury for 12 rounds, hoping to win a decision. That’s now how Wilder fights. He’s going to want to KO Fury tonight. The loss of weight is likely a situation where Wilder worked hard, and forgot to monitor his calorie intake. Fury’s weight isn’t all solid. He had fat around his midsection, and his upper body looked like it had a generous coat of fat. If one were to strip off the excess fat on Fury’s frame right now, he’s like around 220 lbs in terms of muscle weight. The other 24 lbs that Fury is carrying is in the form of fat. However, being slightly overweight can help fighters throw their weight around when they’re facing a lighter opponent. Fury might be able to do that tonight against the 212 lb Wilder if he doesn’t get clipped with a big shot.
Fury gained a lot of weight during his long layoff from boxing. Suffering from a wicked combination of mental health problems, drug and alcohol issues, Fury’s weight shot up close to 400 pounds. Fury has since turned his life around, and returned to the ring looking almost as good as he was when he left it in 2015. Fury has taken most of the weight off, and is once again weighing in the 250s. It’s still unclear whether Fury’s stamina and boxing skills are the same as when he last fought. You would have to assume that Fury has lost something from his game from his time out of the ring, and his unhealthy lifestyle. Fury’s British boxing fans are just glad to see him back. They’re not holding it against him that he let his life spiral downhill after his upset win over Klitschko in 2015. Fury looks in good shape right now. He’s going to need to show whether he he has the talent and the conditioning to excel tonight against one of the beat heavyweights on the planet in Wilder.