Fury chasing knockout in Wilder rematch

Tyson Fury vowed Monday to chase a knockout in next month's eagerly anticipated rematch with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, insisting he believes he has no chance of earning a victory on points in Las Vegas.

The charismatic undefeated British fighter faces the unbeaten Wilder at the MGM Grand on February 22, after the two men battled to a draw in Los Angeles in December 2018.

Fury (29-0-1, 20 knockouts) earned a share of the spoils in the first fight after frustrating Wilder with a superbly elusive performance. However the selfstyled "Gypsy King" survived a 12th round knockdown to cling on for the draw at the Staples Center.

At a press conference in

Los Angeles on Monday, Fury said he plans to attack Wilder early on in next month's bout, insisting he is targeting a second-round knockout.

"Thinking ain't enough," the 31-year-old Fury said. "I need to know I've won the fight. I know I need to get a knockout here. I'm going into this fight knowing I can't win a decision. I've got to knock him out."

Fury claimed his recent change of trainer -- he has dispensed with the services of Ben Davison in favour of Sugarhill Steward, the nephew of late Kronk gym legend Emanuel Steward -would help him score a knockout.

"I'm looking for a knockout," he said. "That's why I hired Sugarhill. He gets you to sit down on that big right hand. That's what I'm looking for. There's the game plan."

Fury said he expected the fight to flip expectations of either a knockout for the hardhitting Wilder or a points win for Fury.

"The consensus is either he knocks me out, or I win on points," Fury said. "Usually when people have that opinion, it goes the opposite way around. Expect him to box and me to be looking for the knockout.

"He thinks I'm going to come out herky-jerky with my famous style, but I want him to meet me in the center of the ring and have a slugfest, best man wins.

Wilder (42-0-1, 41 knockouts) however was unimpressed with Fury's claims of a tactical switch.

"No, I don't believe nothing Fury says at this moment in time," Wilder said. "He's very nervous as you can see. He can't even sit still.