By Allan Fox: Regis Prograis feels that Deontay Wilder’s best chance of getting the victory in his rematch with Tyson Fury on February 22 is to come out slugging, and look to knockout out the tall 6’9″ Brit as fast as possible.
Former WBA light welterweight champion Regis is picking Wilder to win the rematch with Fury, due to his firm belief that the 6’7″ American is the #1 heavyweight on the planet. However, if there’s anyone in the division that can beat Wilder, it’s Fury. Prograis rates Fury as the #2 heavyweight in the world, and he sees him as having the best boxing skills of anyone in the division.
Prograis advises that Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) might need to drop Fury 2 or 3 times in their fight before he finally stays down for good, and it counted out.
Last time WBC heavyweight champion Wilder and Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) in 2018, Deontay knocked him unconscious in the 12th. But in a miraculous feat, Fury rose from the canvas to beat the count, and come back to dominate the remainder of the 12th.
Prograis: Wilder should drop Fury 3 times to KO him
“I got Wilder [beating Fury]. I always believed for years that Wilder is the best, even before the stuff with Anthony Joshua happened when Ruiz beat him,” said Prograis to Behind The Gloves. “And I still think Deontay Wilder is the best in the world. I think they’re #1 and #2, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, but I go with Deontay Wilder. If he rose from that, bro,” said Prograis when asked what Wilder needs to do to knockout Fury in the rematch.
“Maybe do it one more time or something like that,” Prograis said in advising Wilder to knock Fury down again. “Maybe drop him 3 times. He looked like he hit him with the hardest punch he could possibly hit him with, and he got up from it. I can’t say it was a slow count. Jack Reiss is the referee. But maybe do it again, but I still got Wilder.
“I think he’s the best heavyweight in the world,” said Prograis of Wilder. “That’s not his style. He goes for the knockout,” said Prograis when asked if Wilder should try and box Fury. “It’s worked for him. What is his record? 41-0 with 40 knockouts? So don’t change nothing up. Go out for the knockout.
“The same thing with Luis Ortiz in the first and second fight,” said Prograis on Wilder. “He was making him miss and all that stuff, but Wilder is so explosive. When he lands that right hand, it’s lights out, you know what I’m saying?” said Prograis.
There’s NO way that Wilder can change his fighting style to become a boxer like Fury. What a lot of fans don’t know about Wilder is the fact that he hasn’t been in boxing that long.
Wilder will catch Fury with a big shot – Prograis
“I think he goes out there and do the same thing,” said Prograis in predicting Wilder drops Fury again. “Fury was the only one to get up from that, but do it again. If you catch him the first time, you’ll catch him the second time,” Prograis said about Wilder needing to drop Fury again. “Do it again, and try to get him out of there. When you the champ, everyone wants to come after you. That’s a good thing.
“The whole UK wants to come after you, because you’re that good,” Prograis said about Wilder. “Hey, you must be the man. So if I was Deontay Wilder, I’d actually feel good about that. If anyone is going to beat Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury is the only one. That’s it. I’m pretty sure that’s why everybody [wants to help Fury].
“AJ says he’ll go help him spar. Dillian Whyte says he’ll help him spar, because Tyson Fury has the best [chance],” said Prograis. “Basically [Fury has the] the best shot. I still go Deontay Wilder, but Tyson Fury definitely has the best shot at beating Deontay Wilder,” said Prograis.
It is interesting how the UK heavyweights seemingly want to help Fury any way they can to assist him in beating Wilder. You’re not hearing the same thing from U.S heavyweights volunteering to help Wilder beat Fury, and that’s to understand.
Wilder is so dangerous, it’s better for guys like Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte if he’s out of the picture. So if Fury can do their dirty work for them in beating Wilder, then they’ve a better chance of staying on top. Some would argue that Fury’s wacky self-confidence will be his undoing against Wilder. Just listening to Fury give himself praise, he’s got an ego on him that is goes way beyond his actual talent.
Fury was lucky to have escaped the first fight with Wilder without getting knocked out, and he may run out of luck in the rematch on February 22. Wilder has already shown that he’s a better fighter in his rematches.
Fury will get tired and hurt by Wilder
“I’m going to go similar to the first fight,” said Manny Pacquiao Promotions president Sean Gibbons to AB Boxing News in making his prediction on the Wilder-Fury 2 rematch. “Wilder, you’ve always got to go with power. Tyson Fury is probably the best boxer in the heavyweight division, but I’m going to go with power.
“All you gotta do is land one punch somewhere from the 1st and the 12th,” said Gibbons about Wilder only needing to hit Fury with one big shot to win. “I think it’ll be similar to the first fight. Once again, he [Fury] gets a little tired, and he’s flat-footed. and that changes the tune of the fight. So I think Wilder still by decision or potentially by late knockout,” said Gibbons.
Fury did well in the first fight with Wilder, but when he is tired, as Gibbons points out, he was there to be hurt. That’s when Fury become flat-footed, and was there to be hit by Wilder. Once Fury runs out of juice, he’s going to be in the path of Wilder’s right hands, and it problematic for him.
We saw that in his knockout wins over Bermane Stiverne and Luis Ortiz. In both fights, Wilder was more relaxed than he was in the first fights, and he destroyed both fighters.
