Featherweight contender Issac Lowe outpointed Alberto Guevara in a foul-filled fight on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II card Saturday.
Featherweight contender Issac Lowe and Alberto Guevara made strong statements on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury card Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas … but not the good kind.
Referee Vic Drakulich deducted a total of six points – three from each boxer – in a 10-round fight filled with fouls.
That’s why the scores look odd to those who follow the sport: 96-87, 96-87 and 95-88, all for the winner Lowe (20-0-3, 6 KOs). The British fighter put Guevara (27-6, 12 KOs) of Mexico down in the eighth round.
In other undercard fights, lightweight prospect Rolando Romero (11-0, 10 KOs) stopped Arturs Ahmetovs (5-1, 2 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled eight-round bout.
And 17-year-old welterweight prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs) defeated Corey Champion (1-3, 1 KO) by a unanimous decision in a four-round bout.
Deontay Wilder, who fights Tyson Fury on Saturday, reportedly has spent $40,000 on the outfit he will wear into the ring.
Do you think Deontay Wilder takes his ring-walk costumes seriously?
The heavyweight champ, who defends against Tyson Fury in their rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas, reportedly has spent $40,000 on the outfit he will wear into the MGM Grand Garden Arena ring.
Wilder wouldn’t say what sort of costume we can expect but he told TMZ Sports that it will make an impression.
“Oh my goodness! It’s going to be amazing man,” he said. “Come Saturday night, one of the things that I made a promise to myself talking to my advisor Al [Haymon], when I got to a certain point into my career, I said, ‘I wanna give the boxing fans, I wanna give the world something that they can remember me by.'”
“Not only just the knockouts, but me expressing myself before coming out and entering into the ring.”
Wilder told TMZ that the costumes are both part of his legacy and an investment.
“Spending money on these costumes and stuff … I know they’re going to turn to millions,” he said. “It’s gonna be 10 million, 40 million, after I get finished, because of the things I’ve done in boxing and the way I was able to do it in.”
Bob Arum is more confident than ever at the chances of 2 million pay-per-view buys for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch Saturday.
LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum is more confident than ever at the chances of 2 million pay-per-view buys for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch Saturday night on ESPN/Fox at the MGM Grand.
A buzz was evident Friday from a capacity crowd for the weigh-in. Five thousand fans jammed the available seats at the Grand Garden Arena. People had to be turned away by security when the last seat was filled.
“People are talking about this fight all over the country,” Arum said of a heavyweight fight that has been marketed with ads on several platforms, including the Super Bowl.
When Arum first predicted 2 million for the PPV telecast, it sounded like another exaggeration. It’s still bold. But the signs are promising. Arum, who co-promotes Fury with Frank Warren, believes the 2 million buys could be split evenly between the U.S. and the U.K.
“Frank thinks it could hit 1 million in the U.K., even at 4 a.m. (Sunday),’’ Arum said.
If it hits 2 million, Fury and Wilder are expected to collect more than $40 million each.
“It all depends on the pay-per-view in the U.S. and the U.K.,” Arum said.
Contracts filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission include a purse number of $5 million for each. However, the guarantees are about five times more than that. Fury and Wilder are guaranteed between $25 and $28 million, according to sources tied to the promoters for each heavyweight. Wilder is represented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury’s added heft can be interpreted in many ways, none of which might matter much seconds after the opening bell.
LAS VEGAS – Deontay Wilder is heavier than ever. Tyson Fury is about as heavy as he said would be.
The weights are like body language for their rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand. They can be interpreted in multiple ways, none of which might matter much seconds after the opening bell to the most significant heavyweight fight in years.
Is Wilder searching to augment power that already is called historic? Or will the added pounds take some edge off his speed, a notable advantage?
“At the end of the day, we’re heavyweights, so it really doesn’t matter,” said Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs), who is 18½ pounds heavier than the 212½ he was the day before his draw with Fury 15 months ago in Los Angeles. “Throughout my whole career, I’ve been underweight. I probably outweighed my opponent maybe four times in my career.
“So, I really don’t care about weight. This just indicates that I’m in a better state and a better mind than the last time. I’ve come for the pain.”
Deontay Wilder is 12½ pounds heavier than he was the first time he fought Tyson Fury but still looks cut. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Wilder, who has never been heavier than 229 pounds before now, has vowed to finish what he started in December 2018. That’s when he knocked down Fury twice, once in the ninth round and again in the 12th. It was also a night when he said he was suffering flu-like symptoms. There were reports that at opening bell he was at about 209 pounds.
Saturday night, Fury will out-weigh Wilder by 42 pounds. He tipped the scale Friday at 273, 16½ more than the 256½ he weighed for the first fight.
“Pure British beef,’’ Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) shouted to the delight of a crowd of about 5,000, mostly from the U.K.
Fury had said for a couple of weeks that he expected weigh around 270.
Special Wilder/Fury II betting line
Bet $1, WIN $100 (in free bets) if either Wilder or Fury win. Bet now! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
“I’ve been holding that weight for the last three months in training camp,” said Fury, who traces his lineal claim on the heavyweight title to his 2015 upset of Wladimir Klitschko. “I’ve been sparring every day with it, training every day, so weight is not a problem.
“It’s no secret. I’m looking for a knockout of Deontay Wilder.”
Fury has predicted a stoppage of Wilder within two rounds. It’s hard to know whether the extra pounds will give him the leverage to pull it off. But there’s another question about the scar tissue above his right eye. It’s from the wound he suffered Sept. 14 in a decision over Otto Wallin. He need 47 stitches. Is it vulnerable to rupture over a bout scheduled for 12 rounds? If it is, Fury might need to finish the bout early.
“That’s only going to slow him down,’’ Wilder said of Fury’s extra pounds. “Holding the weight on me? I’m going to rock with it, swing with it, rock with it. I’m not worried about his weight. All I’m telling him is don’t blink. He’s nervous. Nervous energy, as always.’’
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Adrien Broner was arrested after he refused to leave the MGM Grand property at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury weigh-in Friday.
LAS VEGAS – It wouldn’t be a big fight without another reported incident involving Adrien Broner.
Broner was arrested Friday at the weigh-in for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch at the MGM Grand on Saturday night
Broner, the former four-division titleholder, was detained after MGM security guards asked him to leave the property. He ignored them He then was handcuffed and taken into custody by the Las Vegas Police Department. According to TMZ, Broner will be given a citation for misdemeanor trespassing.
The MGM Grand banned Broner, 30, from being on the property after he reportedly got involved in a brawl before Canelo Alvarez’s 10th-round stoppage of Sergey Kovalev on Nov. 2.
Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs, 1 NC), who was seen in the media workroom Friday afternoon, hasn’t fought since losing a unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao for a welterweight title in January 2019, also at the MGM Grand.
Both Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury weighed in Friday considerably heavier than they did for their fight in December 2018.
Tyson Fury said he’d weigh in around 270 pounds for the rematch with Deontay Wilder on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. How about 273?
That’s what Fury weighed on the scale Friday, 16½ pounds more than he weighed the draw with Wilder on Dec. 1, 2018. It’s also the most he’s weighed since he was 276 against Sefer Seferi in his comeback fight in on June 9, 2018.
“I’ve been holding that weight for last two [few] months of training camp,” Fury said. “I’ve been sparring every day with it, training every day, so the weight is not a problem. 273 pounds of pure British beef.”
Wilder weighed 231, the most of his career and 18½ more than he weighed in the first fight. He has weighed 229 pounds twice.
Jay Deas, his co-trainer, undoubtedly was happy when he heard how much is fighter weighs. He has been pushing for Wilder to add some meat onto his 6-7 frame.
“At the end of the day, we’re heavyweights, so it really doesn’t matter about the weight,” Wilder said. “As you can throughout my whole career, I’ve been underweight. … I really don’t care about weight.”
Trainer Jay Deas knows first hand about Deontay Wilder’s power cut concedes it will be difficult to land the big one against Tyson Fury.
LAS VEGAS – The power is singular. But there’s no one way to describe Deontay Wilder’s power. Wilder trainer Jay Deas has felt it in multiple ways. It has doubled him over. It has forced him to seek medical attention often.
There’s no one fighter in history who has Wilder’s kind of power, Deas says.
But there are two.
“George Foreman, he hit like a Mack truck traveling at 35 miles per hour,’’ Deas said Friday before the weigh for the Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch on ESPN/Fox pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Saturday night. “Mike Tyson, he hit you and you don’t feel anything. You’re just on the floor.
“Deontay, he’s a little bit like both.’’
Deontay Wilder’s brutal knockout of Artur Szpilka in 2016 was so frightening it scared even him. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
It’s right-handed power that has knocked out 41 of Wilder’s 43 opponents. Only Fury got up, not once, but twice in a draw 15 months ago that ended with him rising to his feet in a moment memorable enough to demand a rematch.
Wilder has promised to finish the job this time. But Deas concedes it won’t be easy. Head-hunting won’t work against the clever Fury, Deas said.
“If anybody is hard to hit in the head, it’s Fury,’’ Deas said. “That says you first have to go to the body. That goes to footwork and overall skill.’’
The looming question is whether Wilder has enough in his skill set to work inside in an attempt to rock the 6-foot-9 Fury’s long body. The body-punching tactic has mostly been ignored by today’s generation of heavyweights.
“They fight from the outside,’’ Gerry Cooney told Boxing Junkie. “These guys need to step inside and crack. They need to move in and target the body.’
It was a tactic effectively executed by Cooney in successive stoppages of Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle and Ken Norton in 1980 and 1981. In a 1982 shot at the world title, he lost to multi-skilled Larry Holmes, perhaps the most complete heavyweight champion in history.
“These guys don’t know how to fight on the inside,’’ Holmes told Boxing Junkie.
But Deas says they do. He has the injuries for proof.
“I can attest to the fact that Deontay can,’’ Deas said. “A torn cartilage from my rib cage is evidence that, yes, Deontay can hit to the body.’’
Here is list of things to watch in the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
A lot happens before, during and after a big fight.
Here is list of things to keep an eye on in the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight title rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) and Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) fought to a controversial draw in their first fight, on Dec. 1, 2018 in Los Angeles.
***
FURY’S WEIGHT
Fury has said he expects to weigh in today at 270 pounds, 13½ more than his weight for the first fight. He said that weight is more natural for him, although one wonders whether it would slow him down. The added heft presumably would make it a little more difficult for the relatively lean Wilder to push Fury around, although Wilder, who weighed 212½ for the first fight, also expects to come in heavier for the rematch.
FURY’S STRATEGY
The lineal champion has made it clear that he plans to fight more aggressively in the rematch than he did in the original. As part of that change, he split with defense-oriented trainer Ben Davison and hired SugarHill Steward, a nephew and disciple of Emanuel Steward who promotes a power-punching philosophy. Fury, a big man, obviously has some power but he has always been a boxer first and foremost.
Can new trainer SugarHill Steward right) really turn Tyson Fury into a power puncher? And how will things go in the corner with a new trainer? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
THE CUT
Fury suffered a huge gash (as well as a smaller one) above his right eye in his victory over Otto Wallin in September. Many suggested that it was so bad that the fight would’ve been stopped if the rematch with Wilder hadn’t been on the horizon. The cut has healed. It might be no factor whatsoever in the fight Saturday. Then again, it might be susceptible to being reopened as a result of just the right punch or clash of heads. Let’s hope blood plays no role in the outcome.
THE SECOND ROUND
That’s when Fury boldly predicted he would stop Wilder. Most dismiss it as bluster, perhaps a way to build interest in the fight and part of the mind games fighters play before they face one another in the ring. But who knows? Fury seems to be adamant in his belief that he can hurt Wilder. He wasn’t able to do so in the first fight, at least not obviously, but maybe he saw or felt enough to conclude that Wilder is vulnerable.
WILDER’S PATIENCE
Wilder has said repeatedly that one reason it took him so long to put Fury down is that he was overly eager to score a spectacular knockout in his biggest fight to that point. He was able to connect, he said, only when he settled down. And he said he has learned his lesson. He plans to take his time in the rematch, set up the knockout punch and deliver it when an opening presents itself. That’s what he did in the Ortiz fight.
Special Wilder/Fury II betting line
Bet $1, WIN $100 (in free bets) if either Wilder or Fury win. Bet now! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
WILDER’S RIGHT HAND
Of course, you don’t need to be reminded to keep an eye on Wilder’s principal weapon. He instantly and dramatically turned out the lights on Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz since he met Fury the first time with arguably the most powerful punch in the history of the sport. He definitely can do the same in the rematch with Fury. The question is whether he’ll be able to make a direct hit on his target.
WILDER’S ACTIVITY
The champ has had the tendency to focus more on landing the big punch than throwing enough shots to win rounds. That’s what happened in the first fight with Fury, in which Wilder was well behind on two of the three cards after six rounds. He was behind on all three in the second Ortiz fight before ending matters in Round 7. If falls behind and then fails to score a knockout, he again risks losing a decision.
Can Tyson Fury stay on his feet in the rematch with Deontay Wilder? And if he goes down, will be be able to get up this time? Harry How / Getty Images
WILL FURY GET UP THIS TIME?
The most memorable aspect of the first fight was Fury’s ability to get up from a right-left knockdown in the final round. One moment he seemed semi-conscious, the next he was on his feet and exchanging punches. Could he do that again? Here’s something to think about: The pivotal right hand landed in a dangerous place, above Fury’s ear, but it wasn’t the kind of missile that stopped Breazeale and Ortiz. We’ll see what happens if that sort punch finds its target.
THE SCORECARDS
Fury and his supporters insist that he was robbed in the first fight. They believe he won virtually every round except the two in which he went down. Wilder supporters counter that he had to win only three of the other 10 rounds to earn a draw, which seems reasonable. In the end, Fury has decided that he cannot win a decision in the U.S. regardless of his performance. Can he? All three judges are American.
THIRD FIGHT?
The loser can call for a third fight, as per the contract. Of course, that would depend on what happens on Saturday. A one-sided decision or brutal knockout – or boring fight – might prompt the loser to look elsewhere for the time being while a compelling fight would generate interest in one more lucrative meeting. Wilder-Fury could end up becoming a classic heavyweight rivalry.
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Nevada officials ordered that there will be no face-to-face pose after the weigh-in Friday for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch.
LAS VEGAS – The face-off is off.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission took a cue from promoter Bob Arum, ordering that there will be no eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose pose after the weigh-in Friday for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch on ESPN/Fox pay-per-view.
About 24 hours earlier, the traditional pose for the cameras after the final news conference was eliminated after Arum shouted: “No face-off, no-face-off.’’
The risk to pay-per-view revenue for the rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand was too big then. It would have been too big a risk Friday.
“We don’t want to screw this up by having these two guys push each other or fight each other at the weigh-in,’’ Arum said about the news first reported by ESPN.
The face-off has been a boxing tradition. But there have been incidents during the last couple of years. Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez shoved each other at the weigh-in before their rematch, won by Canelo on a decision Sept 15, 2018 in Las Vegas. A Terence Crawford punch narrowly missed Jose Benavidez Jr. at a weigh-in before a Crawford win by stoppage on Oct. 13, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska.
There was shoving at the news conference Wednesday. Wilder pushed Fury, who fell back a couple of steps. Fury shoved back. Then, there was a volley of profane trash talk.
First Arum and now the Nevada Commission want to eliminate any chance of a brawl that could force a cancellation.
A victory by Deontay Wilder on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be better for the division and the sport.
OPINION
Tyson Fury is the best boxer in the heavyweight division, hands down. That doesn’t make him fun to watch.
I was seated at ringside for the Fury-Deontay Wilder draw at Staples Center in 2018. About 8½ rounds into an uneventful fight in which Fury boxed and Wilder chased, I remember thinking: “Someone wake me up when this garbage is over.” The fight was that boring. Only Wilder’s two knockdowns made it interesting in the end.
Think back to Fury’s stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which turned the division upside down. A common reaction: yawwwwwn.
That’s why a victory by Wilder on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas would be better for the division and the sport. Fans will take one-punch knockouts over efficient boxing lessons any day. And, obviously, Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) delivers the sudden, violent endings that stir the masses.
Can new trainer SugarHill Steward (right) really turn Tyson Fury into a power puncher? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
On top of that, a Wilder victory sets up a potentially even bigger event: Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua, the fight between two enormous punchers that fans have anticipated for years.
Of course, Wilder and Fury might do it a third time. The loser can demand it based on a clause in their contract. It would be well received. And a Fury victory would set up a potential all-England superfight between him and Joshua.
The point here is that Wilder vs. Joshua is bigger than Fury vs. Joshua, which would be huge in the U.K. but not quite the global event that Wilder-Joshua would be and certainly not as compelling in terms of what fans could anticipate in the ring.
Some might point out that Floyd Mayweather didn’t have a style conducive to action yet he became the face of the sport. Well, one, Mayweather was the best boxer of his generation. That can’t be said of Fury. And, two, Mayweather was the ultimate polarizing figure. It didn’t matter whether you loved him or hated him, you tuned in when he fought.
And Muhammad Ali wasn’t known as a big puncher yet became the most iconic figure in boxing history. C’mon, as compelling as Fury is, he’d be the first to admit he’s no Muhammad Ali.
Make no mistake: Fury is compelling. Bob Arum, who knows a thing or two about promotions, did compare Fury to Ali in terms of his ability to sell himself and a fight. No doubt. Fury’s personality is magnetic.
That’s not where the proposition ends, though. Once the opening bell rings, Fury’s gift of gab gives way to a hit-and-not-be-hit style that gets the job done but doesn’t lift fans out of their seats the way a big right hand from Wilder does.
Maybe that’s part of the reason Fury has promoted the idea of stopping Wilder. He fired trainer Ben Davison and hired a mentor known to encourage power punching, SugarHill Steward. He says he’s bulked up for the rematch. And he’s predicting a second-round knockout.
Imagine if that happens, imagine Wilder flat on his back. If it happens, Fury vs. Joshua would become a much bigger event. That’s a big “if,” though.
Wilder has stopped all but one of the opponents he has faced in his career. He is coming off two of the most breathtaking stoppages in recent years, one-punch knockouts Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz. He’s done it again and again … and again.
Until Fury can demonstrate he has the ability to provide thrills beyond winning decisions and getting up from knockdowns, Wilder is the man.
