Former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder has been unusually quiet over the past few months, this leading more than a few fans to wonder if the beating Wilder took in his February rematch with Tyson Fury caused him to go into meltdown.
Will Wilder ever be the same fighter again, these fans asked. Did Wilder suffer career-threatening damage in the February fight that saw him lose for the first time as a pro?
Well, apparently, Wilder has been training hard for the third fight with Fury, recently intensifying his speed and conditioning sessions in Miami as he gets ready to fight his tormentor again. And according to unbeaten Nigerian heavyweight Raphael Akpejioro, Wilder’s protégé, “The Bronze Bomber,” is looking nothing short of fantastic in the gym.
The way Akpejioro tells it, Fury will have the most challenging fight of his career when he collides with Wilder in fight-three.
“Based on what I know, the only person that can beat Deontay right now is Deontay,” Akpejioro 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. Listen, I can tell you from my conversations with Deontay that he was ready to fight Tyson Fury in July. The only reason why he didn’t fight Fury in July was that the fight was moved due to the coronavirus and the lockdown that came after.”
The 7-0(7) prospect added how Wilder is “extremely confident and excited” about the third fight with Fury, whom Wilder is currently 0-1-1 against. Akpejioro says that Wilder is hungry and cannot wait for the third fight (presently penciled in for December 19, in Las Vegas).
So, are we about to see a fantastic comeback, a return to glory? If Wilder, 42-1-1(41) has got his mojo back – this assuming he lost it either going into, during or after the Fury sequel – and if he hasn’t suffered any ill effects from the seven painful rounds he went through seven months ago, then who knows? Fury had a great night back in February, no doubt about it – but did Wilder have a bad night, a one-off bad night?
Fury, 30-0-1(21), will enter the ring as the big favorite to win fight-three, despite what Akpejioro says. Still, it’s great to hear Wilder is backfiring on all cylinders, his desire to succeed as strong as ever. Or maybe even stronger than ever. Can Wilder get his revenge? How shocked would you be to see “The Bronze Bomber” pull it off?
