Category: Wilder vs. Fury II

Tyson Fury blasts Deontay Wilder for being an ESPN no-show

Tyson Fury launched a rhetorical assault on Deontay Wilder after Wilder withdrew from a scheduled appearance on ESPN, saying he was ill.

Tyson Fury wasted no time in launching a rhetorical assault on Deontay Wilder, who withdrew from a scheduled appearance on ESPN at Louisiana State’s rout of Oklahoma Saturday in Atlanta, saying he was ill.

Fury addressed Wilder directly on Instagram in an expletive-filled post.

“This is Tyson Fury, AKA the Gypsy King,” said Fury, who was in Glendale, Arizona, for a series of interviews before Clemson’s victory over Ohio State in Saturday’s second college football playoff game.  “This is a message to Deontay Wilder, the Bronze Bomber, the big (expletive).

“He’s not turned up to any of the media events today, blagging he’s got the flu, because he doesn’t wanna be in the same room as me because I’ll take him to school.”

Fury said Wilder knew he would be “humiliated” if they faced off on camera.

“His management team are afraid to put Deontay Wilder in the same room as Tyson Fury — facts. Keep him away, Al (Haymon), keep him away, Shelly (Finkel).”

Fury and Wilder were scheduled to appear at the respective games after their rematch on Feb. 22 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand was formally announced late Friday. In a series of wide-ranging interviews, Fury said he would make Wilder quit.

“He ain’t going to touch me this time,’’ said Fury, who got up from a crushing right-left combo in the 12th round of their controversial draw on Dec. 1 of last year at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. “I’m gonna make him say no mas.’’

He also called the sequel the greatest match of the era.

“Brit-versus-American, talker-versus-talker, entertainer-versus-entertainer, a pure boxer-versus-a pure power puncher,’’ Fury said. “This is the clash of styles.’’

Fury had plenty to say. Wilder had nothing to say. He didn’t show up. Then again, neither did Oklahoma.

Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury pitch fight on ESPN; Fury opens as favorite

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury sell their fight on ESPN college football stage.

It didn’t take long for Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury to find the biggest stage available to hype their heavyweight rematch, which was formally announced late Friday.

Separated by 1,845 miles, Wilder was in Atlanta and Fury in Glendale, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb, to talk about a rematch that hasn’t exactly been a rumor for the last year

Each was part of ESPN’s pre-game show for college football’s championship doubleheader Saturday, first Oklahoma-Louisiana State in Atlanta and then Ohio State-Clemson in Glendale.

“I’m looking forward to setting the record straight,’’ Fury said a few hours before the scheduled kickoff.

The record, of course, is the Wilder-Fury draw more than a year ago – on Dec. 1, 2018 – at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. It was as controversial as it was dramatic, two elements that Fury promoter Bob Arum thinks can generate 2 million pay-per-view buys for the sequel at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

He got up – rose – from the canvas after a crushing, right-left combination from Wilder put him on his back in the 12th-round. The crowd roared in appreciation of Fury, especially after years of substance abuse and over-indulgence. Fury’s weight was reported to be at nearly 400 pounds months before the first fight.

“I rose from the canvas like a Phoenix from the ashes,’’ Fury said while seated in a stadium just a few miles from the desert city named after the mythic bird.

Fans loved him for his astonishing resilience. Yet, those same fans hated the scoring, a split draw for a bout in which Fury appeared to dominate most of the rounds with a superior skill set.

That skill set appears to be a factor in the opening odds for the rematch. Fury has been installed as slight favorite by William Hill, a London-based bookmaker. The U.K. heavyweight is a 13-8 favorite, meaning there’s a 60.91 percent possibility of him beating Wilder, according to the bookmaker.

Wilder, of course, has his own ideas, or at least he has a right hand. When it lands, it’s over. It’s a formula that has played out in virtually every Wilder fight other than Fury.

“After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions.’’ Wilder said in Tweet. “I will finish what I started, and this time @Tyson_Fury will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly. I’ve proven myself time and time again and I will do it again in February. #WilderFury2’’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II: 6 early questions to ponder

Many questions surround the rivalry of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Here are six questions going into their Feb. 22 rematch.

The Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch is now official for Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.

We’ll have plenty of time to discuss the ins and outs of the matchup in the coming weeks, as the hype figures to hit a fevered pitch. For now, here are five early Wilder-Fury II questions to ponder:

Did Wilder learn lessons in the first fight that will lead to victory in the rematch?

Wilder has suggested that he was unable to knock out Fury in their first fight because he tried too hard to do so. That’s plausible. Perhaps Wilder’s knockdowns last December came late in the fight – in Rounds 9 and 12 – because he finally settled down and waited for openings to present themselves rather than forcing the issue. Of course, another possibility is that Fury is just a much better boxer than Wilder and, because he was getting tired, let his guard down a few times. One thing seems certain: Wilder won’t rush things the second time around.

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Lennox Lewis: Tyson Fury will benefit from working with SugarHill Steward

Lennox Lewis said the Kronk Gym system will help Tyson Fury grow as a fighter.

Former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis told SunSport that Tyson Fury made a wise move by hiring SugarHill Steward as his trainer.

Fury last week split with Ben Davison, who has guided him during his comeback and helped battle his demons, turned to the nephew and protégé of the late Kronk Gym founder Emanuel Steward to train for his rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22.

Lewis was trained by Emanuel Steward from 1994 until he retired in 2003.

“Javan is a great trainer and would be an asset for Tyson Fury,” said Lewis, referring to SugarHill Steward by his previous name. “Ben did a great job and I have nothing bad to say about him. He took Tyson from a real low point to exactly where he needed to get to. But you always need a great trainer and SugarHill, as I call him, is a good trainer. I give him very high marks.

“Every time you see a Kronk fighter, you can expect to see something special. Kronk fighters do things that no other fighters do and I know that for a fact.”

Lewis added: “There are a lot of technical things the Kronk system can help Tyson with and SugarHill has them.”

Fury is expected to begin training with SugarHill Steward after Christmas.

“We’ll have seven to eight weeks together and that will be enough,” Steward said. “I’m excited to see Tyson progress through the training camp.”

 

Deontay Wilder OK with limited time he has to prepare for Tyson Fury rematch

Deontay Wilder will have 13 weeks to prepare for his rematch with Tyson Fury, the shortest period between fights during his title reign.

Deontay Wilder will have less than four months to prepare for his rematch with Tyson Fury on Feb. 22 after stopping Luis Ortiz in seven rounds Saturday.

That’s fine with the heavyweight knockout artist, who said he’ll have plenty of time.

“It’ll be a quick turnaround for me, which is no problem because when I came up in the rankings I used to fight six times a year,” Wilder said on The PBC Podcast. “(There) used to be times when I had only a week, sometimes a couple of days to prepare for a fighter.”

He went on: “I never get out of shape, I’m always in shape. This actually is going to help me even more. I’m getting right back in there. I’ll probably be out of the ring half of month, if that. I have a couple of obligations to fulfill. After that, I’ll go right back to camp.”

Wilder said he’d open camp for the Fury rematch at the end of December, “no later than the first week of January.”

Wilder once fought twice in nine days, his second and third fights. The 13 weeks between the Ortiz and Fury rematches will be the shortest period time between fights during his title reign.

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch officially on: report

Representatives of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury told ESPN.com that their rematch is officially on for Feb. 22.

It’s set. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will fight again on February 22, according to ESPN.com.

The fighters signed the deal months ago but it became official after Wilder knocked out Luis Ortiz on Saturday in Las Vegas, according to the report.

The site of the rematch has not been determined, although representatives of both fighters said the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – the site of Wilder-Ortiz II – is the likely venue.

The fight will be televised jointly by Fox (Wilder) and ESPN (Fury) on pay-per-view.

“We’re going to have an announcement before Christmas, but the fight is happening Feb. 22. You can go to sleep on that,” Bob Arum of Top Rank, which promotes Fury, told ESPN.com.

Arum said that Feb. 22 as the ideal date because of marketing opportunities.

“Everybody involved factored in that, it was the big date they could get the most bang and publicity for the event,” Arum said. “The college football season is over, the NFL season is over, the playoffs haven’t started yet in the NBA, and March Madness is a month away.”

Deontay Wilder on Tyson Fury rematch: ‘This time, he ain’t getting up’

Deontay Wilder said he will be more patient in his rematch with rival Tyson Fury in February.

The rematch between Deontay Wilder and arch rival Tyson Fury is on for February 22, according to a report on ESPN.com. Wilder expects it to look at least somewhat different from the first fight.

“This time,” Wilder told The PBC Podcast , “he ain’t getting up.”

Wilder’s primary goal is to become the only heavyweight champion, which would require victories over Fury and the winner of the Dec. 7 rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua.

“My mindset is to get ready for the next one because I’m on a mission,” said Wilder, who stopped Luis Ortiz with one punch last Saturday. “Like I said, I want one champion, one face, one name. And I’m so close, closer than I’ve ever been. There are a couple of obstacles to get out of the way but I’m not worried. I’m ready to go, ready to live out my dreams and reach them.

“It’s been a big goal for me to be undisputed, unified heavyweight champion and I’m here. One more step to go. If everything goes as planned, you can finally see a unified champion in the heavyweight division.”

Of course, Fury is a significant obstacle. In their first fight, last December, they fought to a split-decision draw even though most observers thought Fury did enough to win.

In the most dramatic moment of the fight, Wilder put Fury flat on his back with an enormous right-left combination in the 12th and final round yet Fury was able to get up and hear the final bell.

Wilder believes Fury was down for the 10 count, which means referee Jack Reiss shouldn’t have allowed the fight to continue, but he also blamed himself for his lack of patience. He pushed too hard for the knockout.

That’s the past, though. He says he learned from that experience and will be better in February.

“I can’t wait,” Wilder said. “(Fury) showed me everything he’s going to be able to do. I don’t think there’s (anything) Fury can do at this point to improve. Even in the first fight, he had three training camps, he had two warmups, he had like four, five different trainers come to help him out.

“He gave me his all that night. For me, that wasn’t the best Deontay Wilder. … I rushed it. This time around, I’ll be even more patient. I’ll pick my shots. I know exactly what this man wants to do. Like I say, don’t blink. You don’t know what it’s coming, but when it does, good night.”

He added for good measure: “I’m going to knock him out again … but in more devastating fashion and quicker fashion. It will be good while it lasts.”