Deontay Wilder has been on mute the past six months or so. Not a peep out of him. However, someone close to him has had a good look at where Wilder stands as he begins preparation for his third fight with Tyson Fury. And he likes what he sees.
Heavyweight prospect Raphael Akpejiori, whose fitness coach is working with Wilder in Miami, said the former heavyweight champ is fit and in a good frame of mind.
Fury and Wilder drew in 2018, and Fury won the rematch by seventh-round knockout in February. They’re expected to meet again in December.
“Based on what I know, the only person that can beat Deontay right now is Deontay,” Akpejiori told Sky Sports. “He will beat Fury if he sticks to the game plan from his coaching staff, and I know that he has all the physical tools.
“Right now he is in amazing physical shape, that I can tell you for sure. You will see a completely different Deontay, mentally and physically in the ring, when that bell rings again for that third fight. That I can tell you.”
Akpejiori said that Wilder had recovered from biceps surgery shortly after the second Fury fight and was prepared for the rematch this summer, before the coronavirus pandemic put the sport on hold.
Wilder said he injured the biceps before the Fury fight.
“Listen, I can tell you from my conversations with Deontay that he was ready to fight Tyson Fury in July,” Akpejiori said. “The only reason why he didn’t fight Tyson Fury in July was because the fight was moved due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that came after that.
“He does the same workouts that we’ve been doing. I don’t know how somebody can be injured and do all that. It’s really hard stuff. I can tell you that for sure.”
Akpejiori rejected the notion that Wilder is hesitant to share the ring with Fury a third time. On the contrary, Akpejiori said, he’s confident that he’ll regain his title.
“Oh yeah, he definitely is,” said Akpejiori. “You can really tell that’s all he’s thinking about, from just talking. We talk about a whole lot of other things, personal stuff, boxing promotional stuff. But concerning fighting Tyson Fury, he’s extremely confident.
“He’s very excited about that third fight. I can tell you for sure that he’s very hungry, and he’s trying to get back into the ring as soon as possible. He’s in great spirits, excited to get back to fight Tyson Fury.”
Wilder has been a mentor for Akpejiori since they met in 2017.
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