By Allan Fox: Boxing great George Foreman says that Deontay Wilder should come to visit him for 2 to 4 weeks. Foreman likely wants to try and give former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder some tips on how to build himself back up after his crushing 7th round TKO loss to Tyson Fury last Saturday night in their rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) was really flat the entire fight, and his right hand was missing in action. He let big 273-lb Fury walk him down each round without launching his right-hand missiles down the middle to give the British fighter something to think about.
Deontay made Fury look better than he is
By not throwing punches, Wilder made Fury, 31, look better than he actually is. Right now, a lot of boxing fans have a warped view of Fury based on how he looked against Wilder last Saturday, and that’s not an accurate picture. Fury is a good fighter, but he’s still very beatable.
In their first fight in 2018, Fury didn’t dare come straight at Wilder, because when he did, he was getting nailed. But last Saturday, Wilder wasn’t throwing his punches and this allowed Fury to do anything he pleased.
Maybe it’s Time for Deontay Wilder, to come spend a 2-4 weeks with me. Happy for Fury; but see a need for Wilder pic.twitter.com/JwVA6M8hSK
— George Foreman (@GeorgeForeman) February 25, 2020
Maybe Wilder can be helped by ‘Big’ George Foreman if he’s willing to visit him for a month or so. It could if Foreman could work on Wilder’s psyche to help him get over the sting of his loss to Fury because it’s going to be difficult for him to take that defeat and come from it the same person he was before.
If Wilder can’t bounce back from that loss, he’ll have no chance against Fury in a third fight. Wilder has already said he wants to fight Fury a third time, and he says he’ll be exercising the rematch clause.
At this point, Wilder needs all the help he can get for him to prepare for the third fight with Fury. Obviously, whatever Wilder has done in preparation for the first two Fury fights, it’s not worked. He struggled and looked bad in both fights. If Foreman can work on Wilder’s game, he might be able to improve him enough to where he’ll at least be competitive with Fury the next time they face each other.
Freddie Roach: Wilder’s right-hand stayed home
“Tyson Fury won the fight and he made it look easy,” said trainer Freddie Roach to Fino Boxing on Fury’s win over Wilder. “He dominated the fight, and the other corner threw the towel in. It was probably the correct decision. I do [think it was the right decision for the fight to be halted].
“He was taking a beating, and it didn’t look like he was going to turn it around. Wilder had no moments in that fight where he landed the right hand. I think the right-hand stayed home that night. From the dressing room,” said Roach when asked at what point did he realize Wilder was going to lose.
“One guy [Fury] was in a great mood, very happy to be where he’s at, and the other guy [Wilder] is pacing back and forth. He wasn’t himself. He [Wilder] was very nervous going into the fight, and I think that cost him. He’s a very good fighter, and he knows how to box,” said Roach of Fury.
“He got caught with a couple of big shots the last time,” Roach said of Fury about his first fight with Deontay in 2018. “He made sure he kept himself in a safe place, and he fought a very smart fight.
“It was a very good fight for him. I was not surprised [that Fury knocked Wilder out]. He did everything he said he was going to do, and it was a great performance,” Roach said of Fury’s big victory over the 34-year-old Deontay.
Wilder was letting Fury walk him down, and get in close proximity to take away his power. There are some heavyweights that fight well on the inside, but Wilder isn’t one of them.
Roach: Wilder shouldn’t take immediate rematch with Fury
“He knew what he could do with this guy, and he did it in fashion,” Freddie said of Fury’s domination of Deontay. “I think he won every round. I’d like to see him go into a warm-up bout, and get that right hand back in action,” said Roach when asked if Wilder should take the rematch with Fury immediately.
“That’s my opinion, but the rematches have a contract. If he thinks he can fight better and turn it around, I wish him all the luck,” said Roach.
“I think somebody left the fight in the dressing room,” said Roach to Ring TV on Wilder not fighting up to his capability. “He [Fury] was going straight to this guy [Wilder] backing him up, and he completely took away his right hand. It was a smart fight. I’m not going to give him that excuse,” Roach said about Wilder’s uniform.
If Fury’s team are serious about wanting to pay Wilder a step aside fee so that they can face Joshua next, then maybe he should take them up on the offer. In the meantime, it would enable Wilder to take a tune-up to get his confidence up and to work on some things that he can use in the trilogy fight with Fury.
If he knew how to throw uppercuts and body shots at close range, he would have given Fury something to think about each time he worked his way to the inside, but he didn’t have that.
Wilder’s mind could be affected by the loss – Roach
“He bought the suit,” said Roach about Wilder’s excuse that his legs were weakened by the 45-lb suit that he wore for the ring-walk. “It depends on where he’s [Wilder] is at with his mind. This loss could really affect his decision, and with the way, he looked in the fight. He just didn’t show up that night.
“There was not much there, but he’s obviously a great fighter, a great puncher, and a big knockout artist. I don’t think that’s going to go away, but he just needs to prepare better for his next fight, whoever it is. Whoever he fights next, he needs better preparation,” said Roach.
Fury may have shattered Wilder’s self-confidence beyond the point where it can be boosted back up, especially if he’s thinking of taking the immediate rematch. That’s another reason why it might work in Wilder’s favor if he agrees to the step aside payment. I’ll give Wilder time to improve his game, and change his mental outlook before he faces Fury again.