Tyson Fury faces a dangerous threat in Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) next month on July 24th, which could shape his immediate future.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) will need to be at the top of his game for him to win this fight because Deontay is out for blood after losing to ‘The Gypsy King’ last year by an embarrassing seventh-round knockout.
We don’t know how hungry Fury is still after his win over Wilder. Tyson may be complacent, thinking that is so easy last time he fought Wilder. He can do the same thing against him in the third clash
What further makes things problematic is that Fury has made a small fortune in the sport since signing with Top Rank years ago. But, as Lou DiBella points out, Fury has made enough money for not only him being set for life but also his kids’ kids.
For Fury to have a shot at beating Wilder, he’s going to need to be motivated and hungry still. But, with a fortune estimate at $30 million and growing, does Fury have the motivation to keep winning?
Can Malik improve Wilder?
“It looks like Deontay is working really hard from what I’m seeing and hearing,” said Lou DiBella to Secondsout.
“I think Malik [Scott] is a decent boxer, and I think he knows training, but I think Mark Breland was a decent trainer and knew boxing.
“I don’t know how much of a difference that will make. I think Deontay will be hungrier, I think Deontay will be better prepared, and I think there will be fewer distractions and nonsense.
“I expect a better showing from him, but it’s hard to pick him. I’m not picking him. However, is it a dangerous fight for Tyson Fury?
“Hell, yeah. Look, the people who are calling Deontay the biggest puncher in history are forgetting about a lot of people.
“I’ll go to the top of the list of the people they’re forgetting. The great Joe Louis, but certainly in boxing today, Deontay remains the biggest puncher.
“So there’s always the danger fighting an explosive puncher, and so this fight is not without significant risk for Fury,” said DiBella.
Wilder seems to be enjoying working out with Malik Scott a lot more than he did with his other coaches in the past. That could, in turn, help his chances of winning the trilogy match.
Malik is showing Wilder a lot of stuff that he’s trying to apply in his training, and that’s something we haven’t seen from him in the recent past.
Does the millionaire Fury still have the hunger?
“Look, I think Tyson’s head is in a good place, and he’s been healthy for a while, but he’s not a hungry guy like he used to be,” said DiBella about Fury. “He’s got more money than God at the moment.
“He’s loaded, and his family is set, and his kid’s kids are set. He’s buying houses in Vegas.
“Is he vulnerable a little bit? Well, you’re always vulnerable when you fight a puncher and when you’re super comfortable.
“It’s going to be interesting to see if he still has the same degree of hunger as he had. I think this will be a hungry Deontay Wilder.
“If Tyson’s boxing skills are allowing him to dominate the way he has against Wilder previously, Wilder will always have that puncher’s chance. I don’t see Wilder having a route to win by decision,” said DiBella.
Fury being a millionaire might not negatively impact his performance in the trilogy with Wilder.
What could hurt Fury is the inactivity due to him being out of the ring for a year and a half.
Being out of the ring that long can hurt any fighter, but what we’ve seen of Fury working out is a guy that has put on a lot of weight around his belly.
If Fury doesn’t take that weight off, he will be vulnerable against Wilder, who has been focusing on body punching with his trainer Malik Scott.
Tyson could be complacent
“Yes,” DiBella said when asked if Fury could be vulnerable in the rematch with Deontay because of being complacent due to his stoppage win over him last year.
“Whenever you beat the living s*** out of somebody, and there’s a mandated rematch, he beat him [Wilder] from pillar to post in the last fight.
“It was a completely dominating a** whooping. With that being said, there is another element in it. He knows how close he was to being knocked out in the first fight.
“So I’m giving Tyson the credit he needs that he’s still in with a very dangerous customer.
“But it’s so hard not to be complacent when you so dominate your opponent previously.
“Here’s another one. Wilder hasn’t done anything in between either. He hasn’t had another fight since.
“So the last memory of Deontay Wilder in the ring is being brutalized by Tyson Fury in the ring.
And so the advantages are Tyson Fury’s across the board, but the advantage in punching power, you have to say, is Deontay Wilder’s, even though in the last fight, that wasn’t so clear,” said Fury.
It’s a big stretch to assume that Fury will be complacent for the rematch with Wilder. Fury knows that he’s got to win this fight for him to have a chance to fight Anthony Joshua in December.
Fury is the competitive type of fighter who will give it his all no matter what.
He’d already lost a lot of weight before heading to training camp, so he should be in excellent shape on July 24th when he gets in the ring with Wilder.
Usyk with a better chance of upsetting Joshua than Wilder does in stopping Fury
“I don’t think either underdog is going to win, but I can see Usyk out-boxing Joshua right now more likely than I can see Deontay knocking out Fury,” DiBella said when asked if there’ a chance of an upset in the Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk and Fury vs. Wilder fights. Joshua and Fury are the current favorites to win.
“So if you made me bet on one of them, I would bet on Usyk. Joshua is a big strong guy, and honestly, he’s been fighting smarter since that loss to Ruiz.
“And, Usyk was an incredibly superior boxing talent to his fight with Derek Chisora.
“His boxing ability was on a whole another level to that of Chisora’s, but Chisora gave him hell.
“Neither one of us would pick Chisora over Joshua or not even having a chance.
“But you got to pick Joshua in that fight, but I would pick Usyk if I had to bet my fortune on one of them,” said DiBella.
Usyk is unbeaten, and he has the boxing skills and stamina to wear down Joshua and stop him possibly. Beating AJ by a decision will be a lot tougher for Usyk, but he could knock him out if he gets him tired enough.
In Wilder’s case, he looked so awful in the rematch with Fury last year that it’s impossible to see him winning the fight other than landing a big right hand on the button.
Wilder will have to be accurate with his shots because each time he misses, Fury will make him pay by landing clubbing shots in close. That’s where Fury’s big-size advantage will play a factor.
Wilder will likely come into the rematch with Fury in the low 230s or possibly even in the low 220 range.
If Fury weighs 270+ like last time, he’ll enjoy potentially a 50 lb weight advantage. That’s a lot of weight that Fury will have going for him to bully Wilder on the inside.
