FURY ON POINTS! HE WON’T GO FOR A KO
THIS is one of those fights where you can be winning for 11½ rounds and then the other guy lands one shot. That’s what makes it really exciting. Tyson Fury is much better technically but Deontay Wilder is always going to be dangerous. Tyson is such a big guy but he has fast hands so he’s difficult to box against — look how he made Wladimir Klitschko look average. Can Wilder become a good boxer overnight? No. But he started slowly last time and allowed Tyson to dictate, so I think he’ll probably want to start faster and be more aggressive. But you’re only allowed to box how somebody makes you box. It’s up to Fury to make a mistake for Wilder to capitalise on because he can be very amateurish at times. I think Tyson should fight as he did in the first fight because, for me, he won. He’s talking about going for the knockout but I’ll be surprised if he fights like that. There is a gulf in boxing skills but the power, 100 per cent, resides with Wilder. When I fought Jeff Lacy, another big-punching American, I was the boxer but I was aggressive. He was the sort of opponent where you have to stand your ground, use your boxing skills, be clever to pivot off your foot but make him respect you. I think it has to be the same with Fury: it’s about controlling the ring, not running and letting the guy lead. When Lacy missed, I capitalised. When Wilder makes mistakes Fury has to hit him hard, make him respect his power and respect his punches. If he boxes smart for 12 rounds I fancy Fury to win on points. Will he have to get off the floor again? Possibly! I’m sure he’s going to try not to get hit clean with that right hand. Easier said than done, I know! With Anthony Joshua we have three fighters and we don’t know which one is the best. It’s so important for boxing that they unify this belt: there can be only one. They’re all great fighters and they’re all capable of beating each other. Regardless of the money and everything else, they need to fight each other, entertain the fans and see who is best.