Fans are excited about the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch Saturday in Las Vegas for many reasons.
One is that the fight will determine the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, with apologies to the recently knocked out Anthony Joshua. The winner at the MGM Grand Garden Arena can legitimately claim to be the baddest man on the planet.
Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) rebounded from the 2018 draw with Fury by eviscerating Dominic Breazeale and then Luis Ortiz to stake a solid claim as the top heavyweight. Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs), who many believe deserved the victory in his first fight with Wilder, defeated Tom Schwarz and then Otto Wallin after the draw.
That set up one of the most-compelling heavyweight fights in recent years, one that seems to be 50-50 on paper.
Here are 10 reasons this matchup is special.
ZEROES IN THE LOSS COLUMN
OK, the fighters don’t have perfect records like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier did going into their classic first fight. They are undefeated, though, with only a draw from their first fight marring their ledgers. They are a combined 71-0-2. Think about that: 73 fights, no losses. And it’s not as if they’ve avoided the better heavyweights of today. They haven’t. Wilder’s defining victories have come against talented Cuban Luis Ortiz. Fury stunned the world by dominating Wladimir Klitschko to win the heavyweight championship in 2015. The only problem? One of them is very likely to get that first loss on Saturday.
THE RIVALRY
Fans love rivalries. Mention Ali-Frazier, Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward or Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera to a boxing aficionado and he or she will respond with a sigh and a broad smile, so riveting were these series of fights. We enjoyed Wilder-Fury I, mostly because of the late knockdowns – one in the ninth, the big one in the 12th – and Fury’s surprising ability to survive them. The controversial split-decision draw only added to the dramatic nature of the first installment. Indeed, Act I of Wilder vs. Fury was compelling in the end. And when fans enjoy Act I, they want to see Act II … and possibly Act III, which is in the contract. Stay tuned.
CONTROVERSY
Fury fans are still angry over the decision in the first fight. Aside from the rounds in which Fury went down, they argue, he controlled almost every moment of the fight. A draw? BS. It’s no wonder that Fury says he can’t win a decision in the U.S. Wilder fans don’t accept that. With the two 10-8 rounds, Wilder had to have won only three of the remaining 10 rounds to earn a draw. To suggest that notion is outrageous is … well, outrageous. After all, in a number of rounds, neither fighter did much of anything. Several certainly could’ve gone either way. A draw? Yes, that was reasonable. Here’s the bottom line: Wilder and Fury have some unfinished business.
FURY’S SKILL SET
Sometimes lost amid Fury’s colorful (sometimes too colorful) personality and giant stature is the fact the man is a tremendous athlete with an unusual skill set and boxing IQ. That’s not to say he’s the next coming of Floyd Mayweather. That wouldn’t be a fair comparison. However, for a man who is a towering 6 feet, 9 inches – the same height as LeBron James – he moves and boxes remarkably well. No one could do to Wladimir Klitschko what Fury did in 2015. He was brilliant. And he did outbox Wilder for most of their fight. Of course, he got caught by some big punches in the end. We’ll see whether the master boxer can make adjustments to avoid danger this time.
WILDER’S POWER
The single most-compelling thing in boxing is the right hand of Deontay Wilder, who has stopped all but one of the opponents he has faced — Fury. His one-punch knockouts of Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz since the first Fury fight have been nothing short of breathtaking. Where does the power come from? Only God knows. And unfortunately for Fury and future opponents, as Teddy Atlas has pointed out, Wilder seems to have polished the delivery system for his missile. Breazeale and Ortiz went down as if they had been shot, not punched. It’s no wonder that Wilder has the highest knockout percentage (95) in history.
50-50 ON PAPER
The ideal fight is one that’s difficult to predict. Wilder-Fury II certainly falls into that category. Most observers believe strongly that one of two things will happen on Saturday night: Either Wilder will continue his run of knockouts by stopping Fury, or Fury, the superior boxer, will do what he did most of the first fight but this time emerge with a victory on the scorecards. And it’s nearly impossible to say which scenario is more likely. That’s why, according to BetMGM, Wilder-Fury II is essentially a tossup. That’s how every fight should be, right?
INTERNATIONAL NATURE
The Wilder-Fury fight would be a big event regardless of the fighters’ home nations. The fact one is American and the other British only makes it bigger, an international event that underscores that fact that boxing has no borders. Of course, this is the new norm for the sport. American heavyweights once ruled the division with an iron fist. However, since the arrival of Lennox Lewis, important U.S. vs. U.K. heavyweight matchups are common. Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. comprise another recent heavyweight series. Many people are saying this is the biggest heavyweight fight in the U.S. since Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002 in Memphis. Sounds right.
THE FIGHTERS’ PERSONALITIES
Promoter Bob Arum compared Fury to Ali in terms of his ability to promote a fight. That’s a hell of a compliment. And it’s spot on. Fury’s willingness to talk about the battles with his own demons and sense of humor – mixed with occasional crude comments – have resonated with fans worldwide. Meanwhile, Wilder is no shrinking violent. He, too, is open about his story – including the illness of his daughter – and can be lighthearted. He also is unusually accessible, giving interviews to almost anyone who asks for them. They’re both fun to be around. And they certainly have done their parts to sell the fight to the public.
THEIR AGES
The fighters are neither on the rise nor in decline; they’re in their primes. Wilder is 34 and Fury is 31, which is young for heavyweights these days. This shouldn’t be underappreciated. Too many big fights feature an “A” side who uses his leverage to gain some sort of advantage over the “B” side, mostly at lower weights. That isn’t the case with Wilder-Fury II. They are both peaking, both fit, both determined to seal their legacies as two of the best heavyweights of this era. These are the ingredients of a special matchup.
THE STAKES
Wilder will be defending his portion of the heavyweight championship, which is important to the fighters and those who make money from titles. This one is bigger than that. As we stated earlier, this fight will likely determine the No. 1 heavyweight in the world and greatly enhance the legacy of the winner. It will also lead either to a lucrative third fight in the series or a massive showdown with Anthony Joshua to remove any doubt whatsoever about who is the king of boxing. Yes, this fight is a big deal by boxing standards.
Read more:
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