Tag: MGM Grand

Tyson Fury won’t risk opening cut in training camp

Tyson Fury said he won’t risk opening the cut he suffered against Otto Wallin during training camp for his rematch with Deontay Wilder.

LOS ANGELES – The scar is evident above Tyson Fury’s right eye. For Deontay Wilder, it’s a target. For Fury, it’s a risk.

Fury, who needed 42 stitches for a cut suffered in a bloody decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14, said the possibility of rupturing the scar tissue is a risk not worth taking in training for his Feb. 22nd rematch against Wilder at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“If I’m going to get cut, it’s going to be in the fight,’’ Fury said when Boxing Junkie asked him about the condition of the four-month-old wound.

Fury has been in camp, training in Las Vegas, for 10 days. He was asked how it felt the first time a punch landed on the scar while sparring.

Tyson Fury needed 42 stitches to close the cut he suffered against Otto Wallin in his last fight. AP Photo / Isaac Brekken

“I can’t risk it,’’ he said to another question posed by Boxing Junkie.

Wilder is expected to target the scar early in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds.

“If I open up that cut, it’s over,’’ said Wilder, who also said he believed that the Wallin fight would have been stopped because of the cut if not for the prospect of a rich rematch.

Deontay Wilder let’s his rival (expletives) have it

Deontay Wilder blasted rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua for teaming up against him, saying “I guess it’s U.K. versus USA.”

Silence is a relative term when applied to Deontay Wilder. A temporary one, too. The expletives are back and nobody is surprised.

After practicing some quiet time after visiting The Pope, Wilder exploded, going from mute to window-rattling in a supersonic second in an attack targeting heavyweight rival Tyson Fury and all that talk about Anthony Joshua as a sparring partner in Fury’s camp for their Feb. 22 rematch on pay-per-view.

Forget that Joshua has yet to show up in Fury’s camp. That detail doesn’t matter to Wilder any more than Wilder’s flu mattered to Fury when he ripped him for not showing up at a scheduled media appearance during college football playoffs the day after the fight was announced last month.

Wilder just wants to talk. And he did. Did he bleeping ever.

“Look at those (expletives), that’s what I said, they’re all some (expletives),’’ Wilder told ThaBoxingVoice Saturday. “Who tries to team up on someone, you know?

“You say you’re the best, I say I’m the best. Now, you (expletives) are trying to team up with each other. I guess it’s U.K. versus USA.

“It builds my confidence up, it allows me to hold my chest out and lift my head up a little bit more higher and walk through the room like I’m the man.”

Wilder will be in a room with Fury Monday in Los Angeles for a news conference. At least, he’s scheduled to.

Tyson Fury reveals sparring partners … where’s Anthony Joshua?

Tyson Fury revealed his sparring partners for his rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22. Anthony Joshua isn’t among them.

Tyson Fury’s sparring partners for his rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22 have been revealed. And none is named Anthony Joshua.

Joshua, who holds three of the four major heavyweight titles, offered to spar with Fury ahead of the Wilder fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – and Fury accepted – but it appears that unusual arrangement won’t become reality.

Fury will spar with newbies George Fox (3-0, 0 KOs), David Adeleye (1-0, 1 KO) and Jared Anderson (2-0, 2 KOs), according to talkSPORT. Adeleye and Anderson are both listed at 6-foot-4 on Boxrec.com, three inches shorter than Wilder. Fox’s height wasn’t listed but he appears to be as tall at the 6-9 Fury in a photo.

Joshua reiterated that the offer to spar with his British rival was genuine … sort of.

“You know when I look back at some of the s— I say, I think, ‘Why did I say that?’” Joshua told talkSPORT. “So now we’re going to talk about it and give more publicized things to talk about. Fury is a world-class fighter and I’m a world-class fighter that is still trying to improve so I can become like an elite-level fighter.

“Sparring Fury is only going to do me good, in my opinion. So I’m never too big for my boots where I can’t learn anymore. So that opportunity, for me to spar Fury, is for my own benefit as well.”

Joshua also reiterated that he hopes Fury beats Wilder to set up an all-U.K. title fight, which was another reason to help him in camp.

Said Joshua: “And the reason why I thought about it and the reason why it came to fruition for me is because I feel like, if Fury was to win that fight [against Wilder], I think he would be more inclined to fight me next and quicker than Wilder would.”

Of course, as talkSPORT pointed out, Joshua could still show up unannounced at the gym.

Frank Warren: Anthony Joshua should give up belts, fight Wilder-Fury II winner

Frank Warren suggests that Anthony Joshua give up his titles and wait to fight the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II winnner.

Tyson Fury promoter Frank Warren is already looking beyond the Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch on Feb. 22, urging Anthony Joshua to relinquish his belts and wait for the winner.

Warren says Joshua’s mandatory title defenses could get in the way of putting together a fight between the unified heavyweight champion against the winner of the Wilder-Fury fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand on pay-per-view.

“If I was Anthony Joshua, I wouldn’t fight again until we know the winner of this fight and then make them make the fight,’ Warren told the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph. “I’d let them strip me of my titles and not fight anybody until the big one.”

Joshua, who holds three of the titles, is considering a mandatory defense against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in March, April or May of next year. But an upset is always a danger, especially in the heavyweight division. To wit: Andy Ruiz Jr.’s stunner on June 1 over Joshua, who went on to reclaim the belts in a rematch on Dec. 7 Saudi Arabia.

‘The one thing about Pulev is that he can whack,’’ Warren said. “So, for me, I would say: ‘You know what. I want to fight the winner of our fight (Wilder-Fury II).’

“Get all the parties together, work something out, maybe with some step-aside (money), because that’s what the public want.

“They want to know who’s the No. 1. The No. 3 and the No. 4 fought in Saudi. The No. 1 and No. 2 are fighting on Feb. 22.”

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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Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury begin promotion for Feb. 22 rematch

The promotion for Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II has begun, after both fighters took to their social media to announce ticket information.

The official promotional campaign for Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II has begun.

After weeks of radio silence, both fighters simultaneously took to social media to announce their highly anticipated heavyweight title rematch on Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, including ticket information.

“After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions,” Wilder wrote. “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.”

The first fight, which took place at Staples Center on Dec. 1, 2018, ended in a controversial draw that saw the hard-hitting Wilder score two knockdowns but get largely outboxed by the dexterous Fury. The fight is famous for Fury’s ability to get off the canvas from what appeared to be a fight-ending punch in the 12th and final round.

“I’m happy and I’m excited that the rematch is finally happening,” Wilder said in a release. “I want to give the fans what they want to see. I’ve been doing it with my last three outings – Fury, Breazeale and Ortiz. They’ve been spectacular events – from my ring walks where I gather all the energy of the people, to my uniforms that I wear to help spread that energy.

“Then I give them what they all come for – the knockouts, and my knockouts have been amazing. I proved myself the first time and I’m ready to do it again. It was a very controversial fight. I promise my fans that there won’t be any controversy with this one. I’m going to finish it.”

“There’s no more ducking and diving,” Fury said in a release. “The date has been set, and the ‘Bomb Squad’ is about to be securely detonated and the real champion crowned as the world watches on for the most anticipated fight in years. This is unfinished business for me, but come February 22, this dosser will finally get what’s coming to him, and I can’t wait!”

The rematch will be a pay-per-view collaboration between rivals Top Rank/ESPN and PBC/Fox. The fight is expected to be heavily promoted on the networks during their respective NFL super bowl coverage. Top Rank boss Bob Arum has gone so far as to say that he expects 2 million buys. However the rematch plays out, various outlets have reported that a third fight is already in the works for the summer.

 

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.”

Fury trainer Ben Davison: ’Luis Ortiz is fantastic but he’s not Tyson Fury’

Ben Davison, the trainer of Tyson Fury, admires Deontay Wilder KO victim Luis Ortiz but says his fighter is at another level.

LAS VEGAS – It didn’t take long for the focus to shift to Tyson Fury, at least for a while.

Ben Davison, Fury’s trainer, witnessed Deontay Wilder’s one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz first hand Saturday night at the MGM Grand and was asked by Sky Sports afterward what he thought.

Fury survived a hellacious knockdown in the final round to go the distance with Wilder in a controversial draw last December. They are tentatively scheduled to meet again in February.

“I’ve said before: Luis Ortiz is a fantastic fighter but he’s not Tyson Fury,” Davison said. “I also learned that he was a different man fight week to what he was to when he fought Tyson. Tyson 100 per cent got under his skin. I definitely saw that in there, which is pretty understandable. Pressure of a big fight around the corner affected him.”

He went on: “How do you (beat Wilder)? I’m not going to say my ideas on how you would do it, but it’s certainly not what Luis Ortiz did here tonight.”

Wilder was then asked to respond to Davison’s comments. He wasn’t happy.

“Every time a person fights, we see different holes and different things,” Wilder said. “You’re not going to be perfect in a fight, no one is. I hope he took notes and carries it back to his camp because I’m going to knock Fury out like I did the first time. Point blank, period. I’m not worried about what anyone says. I’m proven.

“If they were so sure about certain things and what they’d seen, he would have took the rematch immediately. I’m not running round doing a 100,000 things (like Fury). I was the one who demanded the rematch after a controversial decision.

“I’m the one fighting the best in the division. There’s no other fighters taking risks in any fights.”

That’s just a taste of the pre-fight hype. Stand by.

Deontay Wilder: ‘I am the hardest puncher in boxing history – period’

Deontay Wilder said his one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz on Saturday was further evidence that’s he’s the biggest puncher ever.

LAS VEGAS – Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder made a bold statement after his breathtaking one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz in their rematch Saturday at the MGM Grand: “I am the hardest … puncher in boxing history. Period.”

Of course, that can’t be quantified but he definitely is building a case for himself.

Start with his knockout ratio: 42 victims, 41 knockouts. That means Wilder (42-0-1) has scored a knockout in 98 percent his victories, an all-time record. Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Joe Louis, who are often cited as the biggest punchers of all time, had KO percentages of 92, 89 and 79 percent, respectively.

One could argue that those legends stopped better opposition but it’s not as if Wilder is avoiding anyone. Ortiz is a good fighter and Wilder has now stopped him twice. Also, a rematch with Tyson Fury, who went the distance with Wilder, and possible showdowns with Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua await.

Luis Ortiz tried but failed to gather himself after Deontay Wilder landed his big shot. AP Photo / John Locher

And the way Wilder has tended to end fights – with one monstrous shot – stays with those who witness it, enhancing Wilder’s reputation as a knockout artist. The final blows seem to come out of nowhere, which makes them particularly chilling.

That was the case on Saturday. The possibility of a big shot is always there for Wilder but he gave no indication that it was coming against Ortiz, who was leading on all three cards (59-55, 59-55 and 58-56) after six rounds.

Everyone watching the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz fight had to be thinking that same thing at that point: Wilder was digging himself into a deep hole. If he couldn’t stop Ortiz, he was in danger of losing a decision.

One person not concerned? Wilder.

“To be honest I never worry about if I’m losing a fight or not,” he said. “I’m blessed with something that these other guys aren’t blessed with, that’s tremendous power. I know that when I hit guys, it hurts them. When you have power like I have, you’re not worried about if you’re winning rounds or not. I don’t want that to be in my mind … because I don’t want my mind to be cloudy thinking about rounds.

“Most of the time these guys win rounds on me anyway. I know that sooner or later it’s going to come. And when it comes, good night.”

As we know, the scorecards were irrelevant in the end. Wilder positioned himself as arm’s length in the final seconds of Round 7, saw his opening and pulled the trigger. Fight over.

Deontay Wilder shows Luis Ortiz that all he needs is that right hand

Deontay Wilder wins a fight he was losing by landing his specialty — his right hand — on the face of Luis Ortiz.

LAS VEGAS – No matter what he might lack as a fighter. No matter what might go wrong in the ring. Deontay Wilder always has his right hand.

Wilder showed next to nothing in his rematch with Luis Ortiz on Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Ortiz, obviously quicker and more mobile after his intense conditioning program, had firm control of the fight for five-plus rounds.

The Cuban beat the American titleholder to the punch. He outworked him, although neither threw a lot of punches. All Wilder did was wait and wait … and wait, as he seemed to have no plan of action in a fight that was becoming mistifying.

Then, in an instant, order was restored. In the final seconds of Round 7, Wilder landed that magic straight right on Ortiz’s face and the challenger fell flat on his back, obviously hurt badly.

Ortiz stumbled to his feet around the count of 9 but referee Kenny Bayless, looking into his eyes, decided he couldn’t continue.

Just like that, Wilder turned what was shaping up to be an embarrassing loss into another dramatic victory. It was the 10th successful defense of the title Wilder won when he outpointed Bermane Stiverne in 2015.

Ortiz (31-2, 26 knockouts) didn’t fight brilliantly early in the fight but he was a lot more effective than Wilder, who was cautious to the point where he did almost nothing. Meanwhile, Ortiz popped Wilder to the body. The southpaw landed some hard lefts that must of frightened Wilder supporters. And a few combinations got the attention of Wilder and the crowd.

In Round 4, Ortiz unloaded a flurry of punches that found their mark. Wilder responded by pounding his chest, which raised the question: Why isn’t he pounding Ortiz?

By Round 6, the scorecards had become a big part of the story. Ortiz seemed to be doing enough to win round after round, meaning that it would be difficult for Wilder to win a decision in the event he wasn’t able to stop Ortiz.

And sure enough: The scores were 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56, all in Ortiz’s favor.

Wilder fought with a bit more urgency in Round 6, throwing more meaningful punches than he had earlier, but no one expected what was to come. He simply positioned himself at arm’s length from Ortiz and let his not-so-secret weapon fly. It slid past Ortiz’s glove, landed on his face and that was that.

“Bomb squad!” indeed.

“With Ortiz, you can see why no other heavyweight wants to fight him,” Wilder said afterward. “He’s very craft, he moves strategically and his intellect is very high. I had to measure him in certain places.

“I had to go in and out and finally I found my measurement. I saw the shot and I took it. My intellect is very high in the ring and no one gives me credit for that. I think I buzzed him with a left hook earlier in the round and I took it from there.”

Ortiz gave Wilder trouble – hurting him badly in Round 7 – but was stopped by Wilder in the 10th round in March of last year. He blamed the stoppage on fatigue. So he did the natural thing: He trained as seriously as he ever had. That included hiring a strength and conditioning coach who helped him weigh in about five pounds lighter than he weighed in the first fight.

And it seemed to help. Ortiz was quick and mobile, particularly for a 40-year-old who is naturally bulky. However, in the end, such things don’t matter when a right hand from Wilder finds its target.

Ortiz was philosophical afterward.

“This is boxing,” he said. “I said that one of us was going to get knocked out and it wasn’t going to go 12 rounds. I was clear headed when I hit the canvas. When I heard the referee say seven I was trying to get up, but I guess the count went a little quicker than I thought.”

Wilder appears to have another significant challenge ahead of him. He is tentatively scheduled to face arguably the best boxer in the division, Tyson Fury, in February.

Fury also felt the power in Wilder’s right hand, going down in Rounds 9 and 12. Fans are still shaking their heads at Fury’s ability to survive the knockdown punch in the final round and reach the final bell.

Aside from the knockdowns, however, Fury outboxed Wilder. That’s why most observers thought Wilder was fortunate to emerge with a draw.

The fact Wilder was willing to tangle a second time with Ortiz and seems eager to meet Fury again is evidence that he has confidence to go with his punching power. After Fury? He evidently wants the winner of the December 7 Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch.

“Next we have Tyson Fury in the rematch,” he said. “It’s scheduled for February, so we’ll see. Then I want unification. I want one champion, one face and one heavyweight champion – Deontay Wilder.”