Tag: Jay Deas

Tyson Fury on claims he had loaded gloves vs. Deontay Wilder: ‘bull—-‘

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has fired back at the suggestion he had blunt objects in his gloves when he stopped Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22

Tyson Fury is furious.

The heavyweight champ has fired back at the suggestion he had blunt objects in his gloves when he knocked out Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas, a notion that originated with Wilder’s brother, Marsellos Wilder.

Fury said the following on a video he posted on Twitter:

“This is just a quick video to address all this ‘foul play’ talk from Deontay Wilder and his team. I’ve just read an article saying I might have had some ‘blunt objects’ in my gloves.” He displayed his fist and continued, “Yeah, two big 19 stone destroyers in each glove.

“Getting punched in the temple may do that do you. Unless Deontay Wilder’s own trainer Jay Deas was in on the conspiracy as well along with all the Las Vegas Commission guys who never left the room.

“Jay Deas was in the room while I had my hands wrapped, he examined them. He was in there when I had my gloves put on, examined them, and everybody else was in the room, they don’t leave you. So everybody citing foul play – bulls—.

“And the next time I’ll put a dent in his boxing career, end it. It’ll be two knockout losses in a row, bye bye forever.”

Marsellos Wilder, also a boxer, said the following on social media:

“You know it’s crazy, when you’re great they’ve gotta do everything that’s underneath real to figure out how to stop you. And the most wicked s— about [it] is people on your own team will do anything for the hate/money to help them opps (opposition) take you down.

“It was discovered by doctors that my brother has a dent in the side of his head due to a blunt object struck against his head from his last fight. No glove or fist was able to cause the damage according to the autopsy (sic).

“My daddy once told me if you pull a gun out on somebody, you better kill them. Because, if you don’t, they are gonna come back and kill you. The king is about to rise again. We’re coming for blood.”

Fury and Wilder are expected to fight for a third time either late this year or early next year.

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III? It seems likely

Tyson Fury and the handlers of both fighters seem to think Fury and Deontay Wilder will do it one more time.

LAS VEGAS – The rematch left no doubt. Tyson Fury knocked out the questions and Deontay Wilder. Fury is the better heavyweight, perhaps the best in the world.

Fury finished the debate.

But not the business. Not yet, anyway.

There’s always more money to be made and it looks as if the potential for a lot more was left on the table in the wake of Fury’s stunning seventh-round stoppage of Wilder on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Wilder, proven to be the one-trick pony that Fury said he was, had no options within the ropes. But he still has one outside of them. He can opt for a third fight.

Tyson Fury would be OK with a third fight with Deontay Wilder. Al Bello / Getty Images

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to do it again,’’ Fury said at a post-fight news conference.

Fury couldn’t be certain. Wilder wasn’t there. Instead, he was reported to be at a nearby hospital, undergoing treatment for bleeding from his left ear. There probably wasn’t much that could be done for his fractured ego or the damage to his career. Only time can do that. But he has 30 days to exercise a contract option for a third fight.

“Certainly, I think they’ll probably want it,’’ Wilder trainer Jay Deas said. “We’ll want it.’’

From the financial side of the ledger, there were reasons for a third go-round. The sold-out crowd generated a live gate of $16, 916,4440, a Nevada box office record for a heavyweight title fight, surpassing the $16.88 million gate for the 1999 Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield rematch at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

The gate was a sign that the pay-per-view numbers will be big enough to do it all over again. According to Fury promoter Bob Arum, Fury and Wilder could collect more than $40 million each if the pay-per-view buys hit the 2 million mark.

Both were already guaranteed $25 million-to-$28 million, according to multiple sources with each promotional entity. Fury is with Top Rank and Wilder with Premier Boxing Champions.

Deontay Wilder was saved from himself by co-trainer Mark Breland, which didn’t sit well with the fighter. Al Bello / Getty Images

Fury probably can get that kind of money in an all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua. For Wilder, however, the only option is the third leg in a trilogy. It’s his call

“Deontay will take the time, but you’ll see these guys in the ring again,” Wilder manager Shelly Finkel said.

It was no surprise that Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn was already lobbying for Fury to fight Joshua next.

“No need for a third let’s go straight to it in the Summer!” Hearn said in a tweet.

For now, the question appears to be more when than if a third fight will happen. The extent of Wilder’s injuries was not immediately clear. Bleeding from his ear affected his equilibrium, Deas said. He was knocked down twice, once in the third round and again in the fifth. He also slipped at least twice during a bout in which he landed his feared right hand only a couple times in the early moments.

In the fight’s immediate aftermath, he complained about a leg injury. But he wasn’t specific about the nature of the injury or how it affected him.

Trouble in his corner is also possible. Co-trainer Mark Breland threw in the towel at 1:39 of the seventh round. That angered Wilder.

“The best man won tonight, but my corner threw in the towel, and I was ready to go out on my shield,’’ Wilder said before leaving the arena. ‘I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield, I’m a warrior. But he (Fury) did what he did and there’s no excuses.’’

As he returned to his corner, Wilder can be heard on the telecast asking: “Why did you do that?’’

Deas said he asked Breland not to throw the towel.

“I told him: ‘Don’t do that,’’’ Deas said. “I didn’t think he should do that. Then the fight went on a little bit longer and then I saw the towel go in, so I haven’t talked to Mark about it.

“But we’ll talk about it and figure out what exactly happened there.’’

Trainer Jay Deas learned about Deontay Wilder’s power the hard way

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.’’

Read more:

Deontay Wilder victory over Tyson Fury would be better for boxing

Video: Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury get physical at news conference

The Boxing Junkie Analysis: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II: All officials will be American

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury get physical at news conference

Abel Sanchez on Deontay Wilder: ‘His secret weapon is Mark Breland’

Trainer Abel Sanchez believes the secret to Deontay Wilder’s success in the ring isn’t just the devastating right hand…

What is the secret to Deontay Wilder’s success in the ring? Forget the bomb of a right hand. For trainer Abel Sanchez, it’s the man in Wilder’s corner.

“[Wilder’s] secret weapon is [co-trainer] Mark Breland,” Sanchez told Boxing Junkie. “Oh yes, absolutely. Mark is his coach, and he never gets mentioned.”

Breland, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist who was touted as the next Sugar Ray Leonard, was known for his length and devastating right hand as a welterweight in the professional ranks. Along with head trainer Jay Deas, Breland has been instructing Wilder since he turned professional in 2008, shortly after he won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.  

Sanchez, best known for his work with Terry Norris and Gennadiy Golovkin, got a close up look at the Wilder camp several years ago, when his fighter Murat Gassiev received an invitation to come spar. 

“When I was there for one week and they were shadow boxing, I could see Mark was constantly talking to Deontay,” Sanchez said. “Now that I see his fights more … it’s more evident to me that Mark had a really big influence on that part of his game.”

It was something like a match made in heaven, according to Sanchez. Wilder’s seemingly rudimentary skill set is a source of agony for some aficionados, but Sanchez recognizes that Wilder has been brought up to maximize his greatest attributes: power and length.

“Sometimes we as coaches don’t develop everything as a fighter,” Sanchez said. “There’s very few coaches that can teach you everything at 100%. There are defensive coaches and there are offensive coaches. Mark may not have been able to develop that with other fighters, but with Wilder being as long and lanky as Mark was, it was a perfect fit.”

Case in point is Wilder’s right hand. There is nothing rudimentary about it.

“When you look at Deontay’s right hand, that thing is totally extended,” Sanchez said. “And I think that is one of the reasons why he punches so hard. He gets so much leverage on his punch, he just extends it so well.”

Contrast that to Tyson Fury, the equally tall and long heavyweight giant whom Wilder faces in a rematch this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“All these heavyweights today are 6-foot whatever, but if you look at Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury is a different kind of fighter,” Sanchez said. “He has the height and length, too, but he doesn’t use it like Deontay does. He wants to dance, and his arms are bent when he punches, so he doesn’t get that additional explosion off of his punches as Deontay has been able to do.” 

Good, bad, worse: Wilder-Fury was one winner on Super Bowl Sunday

The ads promoting Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II during the Super Bowl should translate to big money for those with a stake in the fight.

GOOD

A billion or so people watch the Super Bowl worldwide each year, according to most estimates. And more than 100 million Americans tune into the game.

That’s why I’m going to guess that the television spots promoting the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch during the big game were the most-watched boxing ads in the history of the sport.

Of course, that can only be good for the event and boxing.

I don’t think it’s possible to determine the number of pay-per-view buys that will have been generated as a result of the TV spots but it’s fun to speculate and play with the numbers.

Imagine that the ads piqued the interest of only 5 percent of those who saw them. In the U.S. that would be 5 million people if we assume 100 million were tuned in. Those people, who otherwise might not have been interested in or aware of the fight, might now research it or at least pay more attention to the hype surrounding it.

Now let’s say that only 5 percent of those people actually buy the pay-per-view. That’s 250,000 people. Finally, let’s say the promoters will charge a conservative $75. That would be a total of $18,750,000 that those with a stake in the fight might not have made otherwise. And remember: That’s only domestic revenue.

OK, 5 percent of 5 percent might be a bit much. And, yes, many of the 100 million are underage and won’t by the fight. The point is that those ads almost certainly will translate into a lot of money.

One more thing. Fox and ESPN are handling the pay-per-view jointly. The game was on Fox. So, presumably, the ads cost promoters nothing.

 

BAD

Jay Deas, Deontay Wilder’s co-trainer, recently reiterated what I’ve heard many times over the last few decades: If you try too hard for a knockout, it’s not going to happen.

Wilder is a recent convert to that philosophy. He has said repeatedly that one reason he was unable to tag Tyson Fury earlier than he did in their first fight was that he was overly eager to end the fight. Once he calmed down, he put Fury down twice.

Still, many fighters don’t seem to have gotten the memo.

Take middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade in his fight with sadly overmatched Luke Keeler and, to a lesser extent, Yordenis Ugas against Mike Dallas Jr. on Saturday.

Andrade, one of the most gifted boxers in the sport, looked ridiculous hunting for a stoppage the entire fight in Miami. He threw wild, sometimes off-balance punches in an apparent effort to make a statement against a fighter he knew couldn’t hurt him.

He got his knockout in the end, finally putting the brave Keeler away in the ninth round. I believe he could’ve finished the job sooner – and looked a lot better – by sticking to his style but taking a few more risks than he normally would.

And what statement did he make? That’s not a rhetorical question. I really want to know.

Ugas wasn’t seeking to knock out Dallas quite as overtly as Andrade and he did get his stoppage in Biloxi, Mississippi, but it seemed to me that he too was trying too hard to make some sort of point. Again, I’m not sure what it was.

 

WORSE

Gervonta Davis is only 25. His long term fate has not been determined. And he’s in control of it.

Davis was caught on a video apparently getting physical with the mother of his child at a charity basketball game in Miami on Saturday, according to TMZ. Witnesses told TMZ that the unbeaten lightweight titleholder and the woman – identified as Andretta Smothers by multiple websites – were arguing when the altercation became physical.

The professional fighter appears to grab the woman near her throat and lead her away. He later acknowledged on Instagram that he became aggressive but denied that he struck her: “I never once hit her . . yea I was aggressive and told her come on . . . that’s the mother of my child I would never hurt her other than that happy New Years . . January was trassshhhhh.”

Davis wasn’t arrested but he was charged – and convicted, at least by many – in the court of public opinion.

The common theme among those who reacted to his actions: A man doesn’t put his hands on a woman. I repeat: A … man … doesn’t … put … his … hands … on … a … woman. Not complicated.

This wasn’t the first time Davis has run afoul of the law. He has been arrested several times for violence, once for allegedly punching a childhood friend and twice more for separate fighting instances.

The pattern isn’t good. Davis seems to be taking the first steps toward self-destruction. He’s a tremendous talent – one seemingly headed toward great things – and he has built a huge following, particularly in his hometown of Baltimore.

It can all be gone in an instant. I can’t imagine that’s what he wants. He’s a role model for thousands of kids in his hometown and beyond. I can’t imagine he wants them to emulate his behavior.

Again, it’s not too late for Davis. Bernard Hopkins spent time in prison as a young man and emerged a wonderful person. I hope that’s the path – minus the prison – that Davis takes.

Gervonta Davis appears on video to get physical with mother of his child

Deontay Wilder’s trainer: Right wrist injury in camp was factor in Wilder-Fury I

Jay Deas, Deontay Wilder’s trainer, said a wrist injury suffered early in camp affected his timing in his first fight with Tyson Fury.

Deontay Wilder has said repeatedly that he was unable to land the big punch until late in his first fight with Tyson Fury, who went down in the ninth and 12th rounds, at least in part because he was trying too hard for the knockout.

There could’ve been a second reason.

Jay Deas, Wilder’s longtime trainer and manager, said that his fighter injured his right wrist very early in training camp for their December 2018 draw in Los Angeles. The wrist was healthy come fight time but, Deas said, the injury didn’t help Wilder in one respect.

Wilder faces Fury in a rematch on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.

“The first time, when the fight was first announced, Deontay had really fairly severely injured his right arm and we kind of didn’t take any chances with during camp,” Deas said on The PBC Podcast. “We hit mitts and stuff instead of hitting people, not wanting to land awkwardly and reinjuring it.

“… Going into the fight he was fine but the thing that was lost was the timing. I think you saw that in Rounds 1 through 8, that the timing on the right hand wasn’t quite right. Well, there are no issues this time. So I feel really good about where we are.”

Another factor might’ve been working against Wilder: According to Deas, he didn’t eat enough in the days leading up to the fight.

Wilder weighed in at only 212½ for the first fight, 44 pounds lighter than Fury. Deas and the team don’t pay too much attention to Wilder’s weight but they would prefer that he weigh more than that.

“He was so anxious the first time he wasn’t eating enough. He’s wasn’t eating at all at times,” Deas said. “He came in at 212 and, the night of the fight, 209. By the time he knocked Fury down in the 12th round, Deontay was probably at cruiserweight (below 200).”

Wilder has been outweighed (42-0-1, 41 KOs) in all but seven of his 43 fights, the last time in 2012. His results suggest the weight isn’t important.

“We’re so used to him being outweighed,” Deas said. “It’s probably an advantage. The speed is a difference, a factor. The speed is part of the reason he can hit so hard. That power he generates does come in part from velocity.

“A 250-pound Deontay Wilder? That’s isn’t him. He’s got awkward effectiveness and unique athleticism. That probably works best when he’s 218 to 226.”

Deontay Wilder: Tyson Fury’s change of trainers sign of trouble

Deontay Wilder says Tyson Fury’s decision to fire trainer Ben Davison is a sign that he’s nervous about his chances in their Feb. 22 rematch

Deontay Wilder looks at change in Tyson Fury’s corner and sees turmoil. But Fury embraces change, calling it an inevitable step in a never-ending quest to get better.

Wilder says Fury’s surprising decision to fire trainer Ben Davison and hire SugarHill Steward is a sign that he’s nervous about his chances in their Feb. 22 rematch on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view.

“He changes trainers like he changes his drawers,’’ Wilder said at a news conference this week in Los Angeles, just across the street from where they fought to a controversial draw more than 13 months ago at Staples Center.

But, Wilder suggests, the move from one trainer to another will only leave Fury dizzy and without answers.

“If he beat me, then why all the new trainers?’’ Wilder said. “Every day it changes. Firing and hiring. He wants to talk about being out of shape the first time, but he was in great shape. He spent 100,000 [British] pounds on all those camps.

“I still to this day have the same people with me and I don’t need to change it.’’

Wilder has always been with Jay Deas and began working with Mark Breland in 2008. A familiar face in the corner is believed to be a significant, yet intangible factor, especially amid the pressure and potential adversity in a big fight. For Wilder and Fury, no fight is bigger than their rematch.

Fury says Steward is a familiar face. He got to know him years ago while sparring at the Kronk Gym for SugarHill’s namesake and mentor, the late Emanuel Steward.

The change in Fury’s corner was prompted by what happened in the bloody decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Fury’s father complained that his son looked unprepared. He blamed Davison, saying a change was necessary if his son hoped to beat Wilder in a rematch. Three months later, Davison was gone.

Fury said he was ready to move on anyway. He said he had grown stale.

“You’re never a finished article,’’ Fury said. “You can always improve. I like to keep freshening things up every now and again. I don’t make excuses. I won fair and square and we get to do it again. I’m ready for a fight today.

“I’m looking for a knockout. That’s why I hired SugarHill. He gets you to sit down on that big right hand. That’s what I’m looking for. There’s the game plan. If I wasn’t looking for a knockout, I would have sharpened up what I did in the last fight. I’m not coming for that. I’m looking for my 21st knockout.’’

Deontay Wilder trainer/manager leery about fight in U.K. after Dillian Whyte debacle

Jay Deas, Deontay Wilder’s handler, is leery about a U.K. fight after the way officials there handled Dillion Whyte’s last bout.

Deontay Wilder trainer and co-manager Jay Deas has concerns about fighting in Britain because of lingering questions involving Dillian Whyte, whose suspension was lifted after he was cleared in a UK Anti-Doping investigation.

Whyte tested positive before a victory over Oscar Rivas in London last summer. UKAD ruled last week that the test was contaminated.

Deas told the Daily Mail that the fact Rivas was not informed of the test before the July 20 fight is a concern.

“I know that they cleared him (Whyte) of the drug thing but still, when they had a positive result and did not tell the opponent, that’s problematic,’’ Deas told the U.K. newspaper. “I think that’s potentially criminal. That’s a big, big issue for me.’’

Deas also said that Rivas’ corner was not able to examine Whyte’s gloves after he changed them before opening bell.

Wilder and his team would need answers from the British Boxing Board of Control before he would agree to defend his title in the U.K.

“There would have to be a lot of things that we would have to talk about, relative to the BBBofC, and making sure that it was a level playing field because those things were horribly handled, and, in my opinion, set British boxing back quite a few years,’’ Deas said.

Wilder is scheduled to defend his title against U.K. heavyweight Tyson Fury in a rematch on Feb. 22. Whyte was reinstated as the mandatory challenger for the winner on Wednesday. Meanwhile, there’s been speculation about Joshua fighting the winner after the U.K. heavyweight reclaimed his titles by a decision over Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch Saturday.

“He’s fought in the U.K. and he’s also travelled over several times on his own, so he loves it there,’’ Deas said. “That’s really not the issue. It’s just making sure that everything is on the up-and-up and it’s sad. That didn’t used to be a concern, but lately that has been a concer, and we’d just have to sort all that out.”

BBBoC General Secretary Robert Smith responded to Deas, saying:

“We’re disappointed in the comments. All the anti-doping procedures in this country are carried out by UKAD and we carry out their rulings. The gloves used on the evening are approved by the BBBoC so we have no argument with that. They’re gloves that everybody is well aware of. We find no substance in that discussion at all.

“Mr. Wilder has boxed in Britain previously and was looked after well and would be looked after well again this time.’’