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The boxing fraternity is gearing up to watch two of the sport’s Goliaths enter the ring at the T-Moble Arena in Paradise, Nevada, when Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder clash for the third time in the heavyweight division.
Fury and Wilder first clashed in December 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The match ended in a controversial split decision draw. Wilder knocked down Fury twice during the bout, including once where Fury looked gone entirely, but Fury beat the count. Fury landed 84 of his 327 thrown punches (26%) compared to Wilder’s 71 from 430 punches thrown (17%).
Thanks to that double knockdown, Wilder went into the rematch in February 2020 as a slight favorite in the online boxing betting markets. Wilder is not as technically gifted as Fury, but he has incredible power. If a boxer has dynamite in his fists, he always stands a chance because it only takes one punch to end the fight.
Bookmakers were proved wrong when Fury totally outclassed his opponent. Fury dominated the fight from start to finish, knocking him down twice before Wilder’s corner threw the towel in during the seventh round. It was Fury’s 29th professional victory from 30 clashes.
Completing the Trilogy
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Fury had hoped to take on fellow British star Anthony Joshua in a unification bout, but Wilder insisted on another rematch; Joshua has since lost his world titles to Ukraine‘s Oleksandr Usyk. Wilder versus Fury III was scheduled for July 24, 2021, but Fury contracted COVID-19, leading to a postponement to October 9.
The self-proclaimed Gypsy King weighed in at 273 points for the second Wilder fight, the third heaviest of his professional career, and 17 pounds heavier than the first fight. Fury’s trainer has hinted Fury will be up to 20 pounds heavier than he was in the second fight, and even as much as 300 pounds in total.
Fury is supremely confident in stopping his long-running rival, stating in an interview that he will knock out Wilder before the seventh round, the round he stopped him last time they stepped into the ring.
“I guarantee he does not go past where he did before. Because before, I only had five or six weeks of practicing what I’m going to do to him. This time, I’ve had 18 months of practicing what I’m going to do to him. So I anticipate it’s going to be like an 18-wheeler running over somebody, and that’s what you’re going to see. I’m building my weight up, trying to get to 300lbs for this fight because I’m looking for a big knockout straight away.”
A True Clash of the Titans
Although the boxing world wanted to see Joshua versus Fury, this fight has all the hallmarks of a classic. Both fighters have laid down heavy trash talk in the build-up to the clash, and something has to give.
Bookmakers around the world heavily favor Fury, pricing him as the odds on favorite. Fury is the better technical boxer and a master technician. He is undefeated in 31 professional fights, winning 30 (21 knockouts) and drawing once. Also, he moves brilliantly well for a man standing at six feet nine inches and weighing in at 290 pounds.
On the other hand, Wilder is not the bum Fury continually labels him as. BoxRec ranks Wilder as the third-best active heavyweight and the ninth-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Wilder, known as The Bronze Bomber, is known for his exceptional punching power. He has fought 44 times, lost only once, drawn once, and won 42 fights. Amazingly, 41 of those victories have come via knockout, giving Wilder a 98% knockout-to-win ratio. Wilder has a 75% knockout ratio in heavyweight title fights; only Rocky Marciano (85.71%) and Joe Louis (85.71%) better the man from Alabama.