Walk on the Wild’ side
Deontay will KO Fury in heavyweight clash
LOS ANGELES — A cleanshaven Tyson Fury did all the shouting Friday afternoon, while Deontay Wilder stood stoically, wearing some sort of Darth Vader mask, shielding any reaction at all.
Fury removed his shirt again as the Englishman had done during Wednesday’s press conference, which erupted into a near melee. This time, Wilder didn’t react. The two fighters didn’t even come within 10 feet of each of other.
“Talk is cheap,” Wilder said later. “Action speaks louder than words. Tomorrow I can release everything inside of me.”
Wilder, who is 40-0 with 39 knockouts, defends his WBC heavyweight title Saturday night at Staples Center against Fury, the lineal heavyweight king, who is 27-0 with 19 KOs. Showtime PPV will offer ($74.95) the fight, considered the biggest heavyweight showdown on American soil since Mike Tyson faced Lennox Lewis in 2002.
Both appear in battle-ready shape.
Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., weighed in at 212 ½ pounds Friday. It’s the lightest he has ever been in his 10-year career, but just two pounds below what he was for his knockout victory over Luis Ortiz in March. Fury weighed 256 ½ pounds, a bit lighter than the 258 he weighed in August when he captured a unanimous decision over Francesco Pianeta.
“Going into this fight is the only time I’ve been match fit, because I’ve had two fights back to back,” Fury said referring to his two comeback fights after a 2 ½-year layoff. “We’re going to see the best Tyson Fury that we’ve seen before.”
Will it be enough to beat Wilder? The prediction here is, no
The 6-foot-9 Fury should be given credit for all he has had to overcome to get to this point. His struggles with alcohol, drug addiction and mental health issues have been well documented. But it kept him away from boxing before he dedicated himself to a comeback. He has had two fights against nondescript talent, but now challenges the 6-foot-7 Wilder.
It remains uncertain whether the second version of Fury is really better than the first. His hard living, during which he ballooned to 400 pounds, may have left some residue. By contrast, Wilder has been an active champion. This will be his sixth fight in the past two years.
The matchup of styles appears simple. Wilder will use his long jab to set up a powerful right-hand that has knocked out every opponent he has faced. Fury will use his hard feints and popping jabs to score points and keep Wilder offbalance. Both are unorthodox. Wilder throws his punches wide and has awful footwork, but his power makes up for those deficiencies.
“When you possess my power you don’t worry about a lot of things,” Wilder said.
Fury says Wilder won’t be able to land his big punch.
“I’m going to stick and move, stick and move and then bam,” Fury said. “He’s not even going to see it. I’ll land a big right and it’s going to land him on. the floor and I’m going to stand over him and tell him, ‘I told you.’ ”
The edge in corner men has to go to Wilder. This is the first big fight for Fury’s trainer Ben Davidson. He’ll be assisted by long-time veteran Freddie Roach, but it’s Davidson, who will be responsible for strategy while the fight is underway. Wilder’s corner is led by the understated Mark Breland, who deserves more credit than he’s gotten for turning Wilder into a champion.
“I don’t care what Fury is going to bring, there’s nothing that this man’s going to be able to do,” Wilder said. “I’ve fought awkward fighters. I’ve fought big fighters. That doesn’t matter to me.”
PREDICTION: Wilder by knockout.