By Ryan Allan: The time for talking is almost over. With just over 24 hours until the first bell tolls, the most keenly anticipated heavyweight showdown in recent years is almost upon us. On Saturday night, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will enter the ring together once more, looking to finally settle the score, following their highly contentious draw in December of 2018. Unfinished Business this most certainly is.
But when all is said and done, who will be the man to reign supreme?
The oddsmakers can barely split the two unbeaten fighters with European bookmakers pricing both at 10/11 odds on for the victory while Vegas markets have Wilder as a slight favorite. This is, as close to a “pick-em” fight as you will find in the sport anywhere today.
Indeed, this match-up, above any other in the division has all the hallmarks of a classic boxing contest – the great puncher vs the great boxer. While it is often said that a great boxer always beats a great puncher, will that ring wisdom ring true this coming Saturday in Las Vegas?
Wilder, the puncher, is, unquestionably, the hardest hitting boxer in the game today – Fury, the boxer, is as evasive and slippery as any that have come before him (Muhammad Ali excluding) in a truly reignited heavyweight division.
With both fighters loud-mouthed, unbeaten, and appearing to be such polar opposites in both in the ring and in regular life, a showdown of epic proportions is a justifiable expectation for fight fans who have been starved of a truly exciting heavyweight division for far too many years. Styles make fights, and in this event, quite clearly, the stylistic match-up is virtually flawless for boxing enthusiasts, be it the casual spectator, or for the more nuanced fight-fan.
Same Skills, Same Result?
Showcasing an array of boxing skills, Tyson Fury is like no other heavyweight, either in the sport today, or from bygone eras. Hailing from a fighting man´s background; this is a fighter who was born to brawl. The name says it all.
Born prematurely at little under 3kgs, Fury has taken his career from initial mockery to world-wide stardom and with it, emerged as a true cause celebre for mental illness, remaining unbeaten both inside, and out of the ring.
Both his incredible comeback and remarkable rise from the ashes 14 months ago have left an indelible mark on the sport. Can anyone recall a more remarkable rise from the dead? Fury, so out-of-shape, had looked to be finished as an elite fighter. And yet, when Facing the sports hardest hitting fighter, only Lazarus or The Undertaker could have gone close to matching the endeavors of Fury on that remarkable Los Angeles evening.
For Wilder, the spectacle of that fight has brought with it, a new level of fame and riches that had previously escaped the long-reigning champion. Despite a long line of devastating knockout victories, the proud Alabama fighter had struggled to gain a truly global level of sporting fame.
Indeed, it is somewhat ironic that Wilder has now reached a higher level of sporting acclaim and riches as a consequence of his FAILURE to extend his run of knockout victories.
Wilder, so devastatingly powerful, yet so clearly lacking in many of the fundamental skills that a top fighter should require, is a Rubix cube that as yet, has remained unsolved. Only one of his 40 some opponents have managed to avoid the Wilder bed-time story. That man, is, once more, his opponent under the bright lights of the MGM Grand on Saturday.
For both men, the stakes couldn´t be higher, Wilder, so desperate to add Fury to his list of KO victims, seems, once more, to have been ignited by the braggadocious and somewhat effective pre-fight garblings of the Gypsy King.
Fury, a self-titled master of the mind games, exudes his usual confidence and matter of fact-ness that makes him such a popular figure in the UK and across the world. This is a man who has laid bare his demons for all to see and with it, has gained the respect of millions. The result of those revelations has seen a transformation in Fury that few could ever have predicted.
In contrast to his opponent, Fury is not one for shiny, gauche necklaces and bracelets (his suits are another matter mind you) or racial posturings. This is a man who boasts that daily trips to the local garbage tip are amongst the highlights of his week. But make no mistakes, Fury is desperate to add Wilder to his list of away-day glories that includes that legendary former champion, Wladimir Klitschko.
The Bronze Bomber, so quick to taunt his upcoming opponent about his past mental health issues, seems, once more, to realize the difficulty of the challenge that awaits him. This is not another tomato can. This is not a 39-year-old Luis Ortiz or a washed-up Bermane Stiverne. Fury comes from the toughest of stock.
And having been largely outboxed in their first encounter, Wilder, is still, seemingly of the opinion that the same approach will produce the win he craves. One right and goodnight? Is that really a game-plan for a fighter like Fury?
In their first content, Fury, after almost three years of inactivity, and having ballooned to 27 stone in weight had somehow, despite so many obstacles, not only outboxed Wilder, but taken his best shots, in the 12th, and risen. No KO. No victory.
And yet, while this writer leans towards a Fury victory, The Gypsy King has spoken at length on his plan to meet Wilder in the center of the ring and settle it like men with a 2nd round knockout the Fury prediction. Once more, the question must be asked, is that really a game-plan for a man like Wilder?
Ultimately, the question that must be answered is which of these two fighters can improve the most following their first fight?. Wilder, cannot solely rely upon the dynamite in his right fist while Fury must know that dancing his way to a points victory is a big ask in front of partisan Las Vegas judges.
And with that knowledge, he must also know that in a game of punching power, there can only be one victor.
And yet, It should be no surprise that at this point in the build-up to such a big fight, bravado takes center stage. For both men, the sense of nervousness and excitement that enshrouds this event was always likely to lead to the posturing of the highest order.
Despite his exclamation of a 2nd round KO, Fury, has, and always will be, the boxer. He is not a man to go chasing a KO. Wilder, has and always will be the bomber. One bomb can change this fight, and with Fury suffering such a bad cut in his last outing, the danger of a Wilder explosion is one that Fury must live with for the full 36 minutes. And he must know it.
For Fury to emerge as the new WBC champion on Saturday, he must execute the game-plan that he has used so successfully in his career thus far. The style that has actually given him the platform to perform on such a huge stage. His ability to evade punches is unrivaled in any heavyweight of his size in the history of the sport. But is that enough?
Clearly, a move to the Kronk Gym under the stewardship of Sugar Hill Steward indicates that Fury is serious with his intention to add more spite to his punches. While not regarded as a hard-hitter, there is no doubt that the 31-year-old has enough skill and will to hurt the WBC champion and with an added Detroit offense inspired by the late, great Manny Steward, could Fury really stop the unbeaten Alabama Slugger?
For that to happen, Fury will have to sit down on his punches and dictate more of the action if he wants to put his money where his mouth is in stopping the Bronze Bomber and while most fight-fans seem to think such talk is nothing but hot air, that is not an opinion I would necessarily subscribe to.
While Wilder has yet to experience a truly serious assault in his unbeaten reign as WBC king, there have been moments in past fights where lesser opponents have appeared, at least, to wobble the Bronze Bomber. Could a more aggressive Fury, with his fast hands, clever combinations and superior craft actually take the fight by the bull of the horns and give Wilder the fight of his life? It is certainly not out of the question.
Indeed, anything, in this fight, seems possible. A Wilder KO or a Fury points win are rightly considered the two most likely outcomes in this super match, but there is no doubt, that in this sport, and particularly on this occasion, anything, truly is possible.
The time for talking is over. This should be one helluva fight.
Fight Prediction
Fury to win @10/11
Fury by Stoppage – 10th round