There’s Only One!!!
On Saturday night the boxing world gets a long awaited heavyweight showdown that’s been years in the making as Deontay Wilder puts his WBC heavyweight title on the line against a man regarded as the lineal heavyweight champion in Tyson Fury live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Before this two undefeated warriors do battle, we’ll take a look at five questions going into the big the fight
Let’s get started.
Power vs. Technician, who has the edge?
Deontay Wilder brings with him to the ring concussive punch power that can floor any man at heavyweight, but his opponent that will stand across for him is not at all moved by that.
Standing at six-foot-nine, Tyson Fury is looking down to his six-foot-seven opponent Deontay Wilder. Besides the size advantage,Tyson Fury’s natural boxing instincts, ring generalship and hand speed give him the edge, with Wilder’s obvious game-changing power making him the bigger wildcard.
Fury has fought heavy punchers in the past, where as Deontay Wilder has not be put in with this level of opposition outside of Luis Ortiz, who we can say his fight with Wilder came three or four years too late despite ending up being a helluva contest.
Are Tyson Fury’s warmup bouts from this past year enough?
It’s been pointed out on numerous occasions that Tyson Fury is actually the younger man going into this fight, but he’s certainly not the fighter in better physical shape.
We saw Fury for the first time in more than two years back in June since his victory over Wladmir Klitschko back on November 28th, 2015.
In his first fight back, he won what looked more like a glorified exhibition for the fans over Sefer Seferi as Seferi quit after four rounds. He turned around and two months later defeated Francesco Pianeta by unanimous decision. Both of those fights were 10-Round bouts, which might speak to Fury’s shape and physique.
He is looking lighter in the lead up to this super-fight, much lighter than he did against Sefer Seferi, and that may bode well for him, but is a real question if either of those fights from this past year have him ready to face the WBC champion.
Will Tyson Fury’s Gameplan Prove To Be Deontay Wilder’s Achilles heel?
Not many fighters have had the tools to implement what Fury will likely try to on Saturday night at the Staples Center, and if he has it his way, fans aren’t going to get a high-stakes slugfest.
Much like he did to negate Wladmir Klitschko’s power Germany back in 2015, Fury will look to pat away with the jab, smother Wilder’s punches, and counter, all while giving him an assortment of angles.
It’s not a knock on Deontay Wilder, who proved he doesn’t need to knock his opponent out to win when he took a unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne in January 2015.
Will The Fight Sell?
Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza and Showtime put a great deal of money into promoting this heavyweight title matchup, and rightfully so. With their competitors HBO announcing in late September that they would be bowing out of the fight game, it’s a great opportunity for Showtime to reintroduce itself as a PPV presence.
This fight will be a test for Showtime, which is also partnered with Al Hamon’s Premier Boxing Champions.
Some have been pessimistic about Deontay Wilder’s drawing power. Despite a 40-0 mark with 39 coming by knockout, his inability to sellout home venues in Alabama have people concerned that there just isn’t much interest in a fighter who’s special quality or “it” factor has come at the expense of fighting relatively weak competition.
They should get a boost from Tyson Fury’s fan following in the UK as well as his natural charisma shining through in the lead-up to this fight, but one aspect that may throw a wrench in PPV numbers is that Tyson Fury remains relatively unknown in the United States, even with a victory over Wladmir Klitschko under his belt.
Will The Winner Get Anthony Joshua?
That seems to be a question more so for the other side, as in Eddie Hearn, who is Joshua’s promoter. Both fighters have wanted to get their hands on Joshua for quite some time now, with Wilder calling for that fight as early as the fall of 2015.
Tyson Fury, meanwhile, was in the middle of the heavyweight drama between Wilder and Joshua from earlier this year, as Fury took to throwing his name in the hat for Deontay Wilder after verbally assaulting Joshua for not agreeing to fight Wilder.
Eddie Hearn said that he’s looking at April or May in the UK for a fight with Deontay Wilder, but there hasn’t been much said about a potential Tyson Fury matchup.
Fingers crossed the winner of this contest gets a shot at A.J. in 2019.
What are your thoughts on Wilder-Fury? Leave your comments below!