Fury fight is keeping AJ in check
DEONTAY WILDER believes beating Tyson Fury will be the “ultimate move” to force Anthony Joshua to face him in a unification showdown.
WBC heavyweight champion Wilder takes on Fury on December 1 in Los Angeles after they went head to head at a heated press conference in London yesterday.
Wilder called Joshua a “coward” on live TV then warned the WBA, IBF and WBO title holder that if he beats Fury it will be “checkmate” in their chess-match negotiations.
“This will make people want Joshua to face me even more. This is the ultimate move right here,” said Wilder. “This is another checkmate upon all the other checkmates to try to make that fight happen.”
Wilder’s team were frustrated that Joshua’s team did not accept a £38million offer to face the American in the US citing concerns over the funds, and they turned their attentions to facing former world champion Fury instead.
“We really tried to make that fight,” said Wilder. “The situation is real, the $50m was real. We don’t have time to play games, time is money.
“My goal in boxing is to unify. I can’t retire unless I unify the division. If the Joshua fight doesn’t happen, the only justification I can get is that I tried.”
Wilder lost his cool as he shoved Fury before they were separated by security.
And Fury believes his American rival cannot handle the heat because he has never been in a fight of this magnitude, while he has faced Wladimir Klitschko. “He is mentally baffled, I’m living in his head rent free at the moment,” said Fury.
“I’m 100 per cent going to be cranking it up over the next two days. It’s going to be his welcome to big-time boxing.
“He doesn’t know what to do because this has never happened to him. He’s never faced anybody like me, who talks and puts on a big show.
“This is all new to him. He hasn’t had the big, big fights. I’ve only had one but at least I’ve experienced proper championship boxing.
“But all the mind games don’t really mean anything. When you’re in the ring, it’s too late to be second guessing, you’re going to fight. This is just us expressing our feelings towards each other.”
Wilder tried to get under Fury’s skin by suggesting he needs his uncle and former trainer, Peter Fury, to stand any chance when the unbeaten rivals meet.
Fury’s uncle was in the corner the night he dethroned Klitschko in 2015 but the pair have since split. Wilder said: “Peter was part of his success with Klitschko. Not only with him using psychology on Klitschko, which was a great tactic, but he got in his head.
“We know boxing is more mental than physical, and for him to beat him, he had to get into his head. I don’t know the reason of their breakage but he definitely needs Peter for this fight.”
Fury v Wilder is live and exclusive on BT Sport Box Office on December 1. Go to btsport.com/boxoffice. AT VITALITY STADIUM