Fury’s bullish over rematch
KNUCKLING DOWN: Wilder and Fury
TYSON FURY has vowed to greet Deontay Wilder like a raging bull in Las Vegas on Saturday.
But even if he strips the American matador of his WBC heavyweight crown, the Gypsy King is adamant the achievement won’t match that of his victory over Wladimir Klitschko.
Fury, 31, became world heavyweight champion in November 2015 when he produced a shock win to take the Ukrainian’s WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles.
He said: “Nothing will ever top the Klitschko win in Germany – that was the best win from any British fighter in history.”
When Fury and Wilder first met 14 months ago, he used his boxing skills to great effect and many thought he did enough to win despite being floored twice.
It ended in a controversial split decision but despite that the Englishman is promising very different tactics this time.
Fury added: “I’ll just go for an all-out brawl. I’m not bothering about getting hit and hurt, I’ve been hit and hurt loads of times.
“I’m going out swinging, Deontay says he’s coming out swinging, so we’ll see who’s full of s*** and who’s a man of his word.
“I’m coming out like a raging bull, I’ll run across that ring to meet him.”
If Fury does become a two-time world champion he will also be the first heavyweight to win the Ring magazine belt twice since Muhammad Ali.
He said: “All these things are great achievements but I’m concentrating on Deontay, not on all the fancy stuff that surrounds it. The only thing that really matters is me winning the fight.
“All the spoils of war are fantastic but none of that means anything before the victory.”
MOEEN ALI says he wants to make his return to Test cricket with England this summer despite admitting he was “not ready” to tour Sri Lanka.
The all-rounder has looked in great form in white ball action in South Africa after six months away from international cricket.
Ali, 32, will now embark on a spell in T20 league cricket between now and the summer.
But he has assured coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root that far from turning his back on red-ball cricket he is ready to fight for the place he lost during the Ashes.
“I want to give myself a bit more time, enjoy some T20 leagues because there is a T20 World Cup coming up so I want to give myself as much experience as I can,” said Ali.
“I’ve not actually played that much T20 international cricket. Test cricket is harder and I want to make sure when I come back I’m ready.
“But yes, I’m looking to target this summer, for sure.”
Moeen will play for the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League from February 20 to March 22 then join up with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL from March 23 to May 12. Once he has completed those lucrative gigs, Ali says he will refocus on getting back into red-ball cricket with an eye on the tour of India next winter high on his priorities.
He lost his place in the starting line-up in the World Cup and played just one Ashes Test before being axed. At the end of the summer he lost his full central contract, dropping to a white-ball only deal.
Explaining his self-exclusion from next month’s Sri Lanka tour he said: “I want to give myself a bit more time. Test cricket
JOS BUTTLER will stay at the top of the order in today’s third, final and decisive T20 in Centurion despite two low scores from the wicketkeeper batsman. Captain Eoin Morgan said: “Jos is one one of our greatest white-ball cricketers as a batsman never mind with the gloves.” is not a place for tired minds or if you’re not fully into it. It is the hardest format by a mile and I want to make sure when I come back that I’m at my best.
“I still want to play and have ambitions to play Test cricket. But I’ll do it when I feel like I’m 100 per cent ready and I know I’ve got to fight for my spot.
“I’ll have a decent amount of T20 cricket in Pakistan and the IPL and then there’s The Hundred and that sort of stuff. But I do have my eyes on Test cricket as well.”
England will be pleased so many of their stars are playing PSL and IPL this season – 12 are set to take in the former and 13 in India – given the upcoming World T20 in Australia this October and November.
“We’ve been quite good for a while now but that is what we’re gunning for, 100 per cent,” said Ali. “There are players who have won the Ashes and won the 50-over World Cup and this is our target for sure.
“We were so close in India last time and that still hurts us as a team. You look back and think we could have won that one, but hopefully we’ll win the next one.”