Panto time as Fury squares up to Wilder
Englishman claims his opponent is ‘bottle job’ American promises a devastating knockout
The great game of goading between heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder began yesterday in a BT Sport studio in London with the two huge men separated by security guards at their first headto-head press conference.
Pantomime or not – and no punches were thrown, in spite of Wilder shoving Fury – they were promoting their World Boxing Council title fight which will take place on Dec 1 in Los Angeles.
The rivals will continue their press tour in New York today, moving to Los Angeles tomorrow, with former world champion Fury, undefeated in 27 fights, attempting to get into the head of the Alabaman, holder of the WBC crown, by suggesting that Wilder was actually “the challenger”.
After the pair had been together on ITV’S Good Morning Britain – during which Wilder spent more time criticising Anthony Joshua for avoiding him than intimating what he intended for Fury in the ring – the Briton ignited the set-to by getting out of his seat and demanding the American join him for a “body spar”.
“I am no challenger for no man. I’m the lineal heavyweight champion of the world, the best of the best,” said Fury, who held the World Boxing Organisation, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association titles by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November 2015, before being exiled from the sport for 30 months. “This is two champions colliding, equal rights, rephrase and start again,” Fury had said after the pair were introduced.
Fury, out of his seat, taunted Wilder, calling him a “bottle job”, adding: “You think this is a game? I’ll punch your face in. You’ve got power then, let me feel that power, boy. I want to feel it. I feel 10 of you. Hit that big bald head. You’ll feel the wrath, hell has no fury like Tyson Fury.”
The 30-year-old’s promoter Frank Warren was forced to stand between the pair. Wilder, 32, also undefeated, having stopped 39 of his 40 opponents, said: “It’s important to establish dominance. I say I’m the best, the baddest man on the planet.
“When it comes to Tyson Fury, I’m all about devastating knockouts, it’s what I do.
“He’s got two months to get ready, he lost a lot of weight; he’s got to lose a little more. We can’t live off others’ opinions. You’ll know what time it is, you come here to see one thing, me knocking somebody out.”
Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager who previously worked with Klitschko and Mike Tyson, added: “Before Fury fought Klitschko, I didn’t give him a chance. He won’t prove me wrong again.”
Wilder had wanted to face Joshua to unify the four heavyweight belts this year, but after three months of negotiation, Warren announced on July 18, in Belfast, that a deal had been agreed for Fury to face Wilder for the WBC title.
In many ways, it provides a precursor to the showdown with Joshua which will come in 2019. There was plenty of panto in this yesterday. But that will not stop the American media lapping it up in New York today. It will be rinse, and repeat.