By Jim Maltzman: Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury came up clean on their VADA [Voluntary Anti-Doping] tests from their fight last month on February 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to Dan Rafael. It’s a positive that both fighters have tested positive. That’s one last thing to worry about going into a third contest between them.
The fight ended badly for former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) with Fury stopping him in the 7th round after Deontay’s trainer Mark Breland throwing in the towel.
By the time the fight was stopped by Breland’s actions, Wilder had no chance of winning. He looked weak, he wasn’t throwing punches with any conviction, and he stuck against the ropes getting bombarded by Fury.
Wilder has already exercised his rematch clause to force a third fight against Fury, which needs to take place no later than July 18th. That’s the last day the fight can contractually take place.
Kellerman: Wilder doesn’t have much of a chance against Fury
“He does not have much of a chance, Deontay Wilder. He has a puncher’s chance because Deontay hits with supernatural force, but that’s it, Stephen A. It’s a puncher’s chance,” said Kellerman to ESPN’s First Take on his chances against Fury in their trilogy match.
“Tyson Fury said he was 50% of himself when they fought the first time because after he beat Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship, he went into a depression, obesity, suicidal ideation, all kinds of stuff. He comes out of that stuff, fights two tune-ups against no names, and then fights Wilder.
“He says his father said, Tyson Fury’s father, said before his fight with Wilder, ‘Son, what are you doing? He’s going to destroy you? It’s only going to take two rounds.’ That version of Tyson Fury out-boxed you 10 out of 11 rounds, and then got hit by Deontay’s knockout punch in the 12th, fell flat on his back, and rose up and people are calling him ‘The Undertaker’ to take the fight to Deontay the rest of that round,” said Kellerman.
As long Wilder doesn’t weaken his legs wearing another heavy ring-walk vest before the third fight, he’ll have a shot at beating Fury. With that said, Wilder will also need to avoid getting caught by Fury’s clubbing shots to the side and back of his head. Those were the punches that gave Wilder the most problems. Fury did a good job of catching Wilder with the right hands that took fight out of him already.
Fury did exactly as he said he would against Wilder
“So he said going into the rematch that, ‘If he couldn’t beat me when I was 50% of myself, what is he going to do when I’m 100%?’” said Kellerman on Fury before his February 22 rematch with Wilder. “And he told everyone what he was going to do. He said, ‘I’m going to go after him and rough him up and beat him up. I put on extra weight to do it.’ He did exactly that. Tyson Fury has only ever told people what he was going to exactly do before the fight, and then went out did it.
“In this case, he beat him [Wilder] as a boxer, beat him as a slugger, any which way you want to slice it. What this fight boils down to is the good big man [Fury] vs. the good little man [Wilder]. I know Deontay is 6’7” 230, and next to Tyson Fury, he’s the little man. The little man’s best shot is a big punch, and the big man has got everything else. Good luck,” said Kellerman on Wilder.
The 256-lb Fury that fought Wilder to a 12 round draw in 2018 would have beaten him if he’d mauled him at close range as he did in their rematch. Fury’s added weight in bulking up to 273 lbs wasn’t what won him the fight. He won by staying close to Wilder, not giving him space to get leverage on his shots. Wilder can punch, but only when he’s got space to throw his shots. Fury didn’t allow Wilder to have that space, and that’s ultimately the reason why he lost.
Wilder needs more time to recover from the loss
“I think you’re being unfair to Wilder. Let me explain,” said Stephen A. to ESPN’s First Take in addressing Kellerman’s slant favoring Fury over Wilder in the trilogy. “Wilder is a knockout artist. I thought if he took a break, let Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua and then take on the winner, I think he needs more time to recover from what happened to him. You can see him on social media, talking about, ‘Your King is here. I’ll be back to reclaim my crown,’ and all of that stuff.
“To do something immediately, I think is a mistake. I wouldn’t favor him to beat Tyson Fury, but I got to love for Deontay Wilder. But let me say this. Number 1, you acknowledged that he’s improved in boxing. That’s what you said. Teddy Atlas said he can’t box, really.
“We also have to take into consideration is this seriousness he has because if you drop a dude twice in the first fight, and you almost put him to sleep in the 12th round of the first fight, you come into the second fight, dare I say a little too cocky, a little bit too aloof. Thinking that you can walk through this dude and take him out,” said Smith on Wilder being overconfident going into Fury rematch.
It would help Wilder if he had more time to prepare for the Fury trilogy match, but it would depend on who he fought. To get the maximum benefit to prepare for Fury, Wilder would need to fight big guys like Mariusz Wach, and similar guys. The problem with that is Wilder is still vulnerable from flaws that he showed against Fury, those guys could beat him too. Wilder’s career would be over with at that point.
Deontay will be more focused in the third fight
“Even after losing the fight, what did Deontay Wilder say? ‘He didn’t hurt me. My legs were just going. None of us were buying it because we were sitting at ringside, but nevertheless, we got to take that into consideration because he might be more focused this time than ever before because it’s the first defeat of his career,” said Smith. “But also I wish Tyson Fury nothing but the best.
“I like Tyson Fury. I think he’s a marketable guy, and I really applaud what he’s done for boxing. Both guys are easy to like. Let me say this. The last time you raved about Tyson Fury is when he beat Wladimir Klitschko. That was on November 28, 2015. What happened after that?” said Smith.
Wilder might not be more focused but he will be fighting for survival with his back against the wall when he faces Fury again. You can count on Wilder being more alert for the third fight, and looking to bounce right hands off Fury’s head. While some believe Fury’s extra weight that he came into the second fight helped him absorb Wilder’s punches better, that’s nonsense.
Fury survived Wilder’s right-hand shots is he didn’t get hit with many. Wilder’s legs were gone as early as round 2 after getting hurt by a shot behind the head. His legs looked rubbery from that point forward, and he couldn’t get power on his right-hand punches.
Fury might not be the same guy he was in the second fight
“To assume Tyson Fury is going to be the same guy he was [in the second Wilder fight], we never know,” said Smith. “The level of discipline and focus, as you say, he’s ‘been to hell and back.’ I’m not wishing it for him because you never really know, but the point that I’m trying to make is, he’s been through so much. The Tyson Fury that you see in that fight, you might not see in the next fight. You can buy that with Wilder. Hell, anything can happen,” said Stephen A.
Fury was mentally wrecked by the success he had in his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, and we could see the same thing for him in the third fight. Coming events cast their shadows before. Some would argue that Fury functions better when he has no pressure on him and is being overlooked as having no chance.
Fury seems to like being the outsider, a fighter that isn’t given huge respect. It’s as if he has a huge chip on his shoulder, and enjoys proving people wrong. But now that Fury is on top like he was in 2015 after being Wladimir, he could lose that mental edge and come into the third fight with Wilder as not the same guy that he was last February. If Fury isn’t mentally the guy he was last time, Wilder could destroy him.
Deontay could be RUINED in the third fight with Fury
“I think Tyson Fury is stronger mentally and emotionally having gone through what he’s gone through,” said Kellerman. “I think he’s less likely to repeat, and come out a better man. You’re saying, ‘It happened before, it can happen again because that’s in him somewhere.’ I get that.
“Well, because it was so one-sided, right? The answer is money. Everyone has money to make,” said Kellerman when asked why are they doing the third Fury vs. Wilder fight after the second contest was so one-sided.
“Here’s the thing about Deontay; I’m not saying this stuff because I don’t like Deontay or I don’t think he has a bright future. I’m saying it because I think he does [have a bright future], and a third fight can ruin that. Let me tell you want I mean. In boxing, the old adage is, ‘One fighter that knocks out another is going to do it in the rematch only quicker, right?’” said Kellerman.
You can make a strong argument that Wilder is ALREADY ruined even without fighting Fury a third time. Even if Wilder never fights Fury again, his career is in tatters from his loss last February. Wilder literally has nothing to lose going into a third fight with Fury.
The blueprint that Fury created in how to beat Wilder will be followed by everyone that faces him, and he may not ever find success again. Wilder is in a do-or-die situation in going into the third fight with Fury because if he loses this, it’s over.
Wilder needs to be rebuilt before facing Fury again
“Deontay Wilder is special not only because he has a big right hand because he has the self-believe and the composure in the biggest moments to weather the storm and land that right hand every time except in his last fight,” said Kellerman.
“He fought a guy 40 lbs bigger. It was the 40 lbs that Tyson had on him. He was 40 lbs bigger, a better boxer, the whole thing. That’s not going to change,” said Kellerman. “If Deontay and his team were serious about beating Fury, you take a tune-up fight first and get the confidence back and do a training camp.
“You take a fight against a real big guy just to get that feeling, and you take another fight against a guy that can fight. Now you’ve built all the way back up. Immediate rematches in the wake of a loss like that, it almost never turns out good,” said Kellerman on Wilder’s crushing defeat against Fury.
The weight that Fury had going for him likely wouldn’t have helped him if Wilder had been able to hit him solidly with his right-hand power shots. Wilder couldn’t get his power shots off because he looked exhausted and hurt through most of the fight.
Kellerman’s idea of Wilder taking one or two tune-up fights before facing Fury again sounds like a good idea, but there’s a major problem with that idea. Fury has already announced his intentions of retiring after two more fights.
He’s made enough money in the sport, and he doesn’t feel the need to continue. As such, if Wilder were to walk away from the trilogy fight against Fury in order to take two tune-up fights, he could permanently lose out on his goal of avenging his loss.
Tyson Fury can still lose to Wilder
“Almost never,” said Stephen A. “I remember Lennox Lewis getting knocked out by Hasim Rahman and took an immediate rematch, and then knocked him out. That’s number one. Number two, let’s remember this. That’s the brilliance of Tyson Fury. He moved up [in weight] because he wanted to be heavier and to absorb a punch from Deontay, and to be able to maul him, beat him up and lean on him and all that other stuff,” said Stephen A.
Despite the total domination that Fury had in battering Wilder in their rematch on February 22, he can still lose the trilogy fight on July 18. As Stephen A. Smith points out, Hasim Rahman knocked Lennox Lewis out in their first fight in April 2001, but in their rematch, Lewis stopped him in the 4th round seven months later in November 2001. Lewis didn’t allow a lot of time to go by before taking the rematch with Rahman, and it still worked out in his favor.
When Wilder and Fury face each other in July, it’ll have been five months since their last fight, which is similar to the gap Lewis had before fighting Rahman again.