Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WILDER’S NO BUM, HE’S AN ATOMIC BOMB
Fury warns against underestimating a ‘dangerous hombre’
TYSON FURY claims that fighting Deontay Wilder is like defusing an atomic bomb.
Fury faces Wilder in their trilogy fight on Saturday night in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, just 65 miles away from America’s former atomic bomb test site.
He is ignoring those who have written Wilder off because he destroyed him to hand him his first pro loss when they last fought.
The undefeated WBC heavyweight king insists the former champ is the most dangerous heavyweight in the world and still as explosive as ever.
“A lot of people are writing Deontay Wilder off in this fight,” he said.
“They almost look at Deontay Wilder like he’s a bum, like he can’t fight, like he’s useless. But make no mistake about this, Deontay Wilder is the most dangerous heavyweight out there.
“Combine all the other heavyweights and they don’t pose a danger like Wilder. So that’s what I’m messing with. I’m playing with an atomic bomb, messing round, clipping wires.
“Every time you go into the ring with Deontay Wilder you’re playing with that danger.
“This will be the third time I’ve been in the ring with him and every single time he’s very, very dangerous. You can’t write Wilder off.
“He’s a very, very dangerous hombre with big, big power and he can close the distance quick. With most boxers they need to hit you with five punches, with Wilder he can hit you with a quarter-punch and knock you spark out.”
Fury, 33, rates Wilder as his most perilous opponent and says only Wladimir Klitschko can compare to him.
“Wilder’s my most dangerous fight since Klitschko,” said the Gypsy King. “Klitschko was my most dangerous hurdle to overcome.
“Once I got that guy out of the way I always knew Wilder would be my most dangerous opponent, no matter who I fought. Klitschko would be the first danger, no one compared to him, and then the second danger would be Wilder in my second career.
“That’s what we’re messing with – my ultimate danger man. If you could design any fighter to be able to compete
with me as a boxer, then it would be Deontay Wilder.
“He’s the most dangerous of out all of them. The rest of them are all tailor-made for me. They’re not dangerous, they’re just boxers.”
Fury, the odds-on favourite at 4-11, has deliberately talked up Wilder, the 9-4 underdog, and expects a reaction from the Bronze Bomber – under his new trainer Malik Scott – to such a crushing defeat last time they met.
“A loss can do one of two things for a man; it can make him 100 times better or 100 times worse,” he said. “We’ll find out on Saturday.
“He’s a pretty professional guy and he looks like he’s been in the gym all the time training. He looks like he’s fit, so I’m expecting to see the best Deontay Wilder.”
BT Sport Box Office will show Fury v Wilder: The Trilogy exclusively live in the UK on Saturday. For more info go to www.bt.com/sportboxoffice