Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III: Once and For All Preview
Two heavyweight titans will clash for a third time this Saturday evening. Defending WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury welcomes the former titleholder, Deontay Wilder, into the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, for a trilogy bout of epic proportions. Join us in previewing the most anticipated heavyweight boxing contest of the year and the hysteria leading up to this weekend’s rubber match.
Fury vs. Wilder 1
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder first clashed in December 2018, as the undefeated WBC title holder at the time, Deontay Wilder, was scheduled by promoters to face another undefeated challenger and former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The Staples Center in Los Angeles was prepared with 18,000 screaming fans, but nobody could’ve predicted this bout would produce a trilogy matchup three years down the line.
“These fighters have to be perfect for 12 rounds; I only have to be perfect for 2 seconds.” – Deontay Wilder.
This statement made by Wilder is the perfect example of how Wilder has fought throughout his professional boxing career. Fury was faced with a champion in Wilder who possessed a 95% knockout-to-win rate, with twenty of those knockouts taking place during the first round. 41 of Wilder’s 42 in-ring successes were accomplished through his unhuman-like punching power.
However, from the opening bell, Wilder’s sleek footwork and consistent fainting disrupted the rhythm that Wilder had become accustomed to. Fury’s movement was critical in avoiding the power-right of Wilder, as he jerked and twitched with head movement that was accompanied by a traditional stutter-step to misalign Wilder’s pressure.
Wilder’s basic left jab setup for his power right has barely failed him; the evidence in his finishing rate proves this. But the level changing feints by Fury tampered with “The Bronze Bombers” movement; this became problematic for Wilder whenever he attempted to establish his setup jab.
The fight was a defensive boxing masterclass by Fury for eleven rounds; he’s beaten Wilder on significant strikes and dominated – but then the moment came, that perhaps, has kept this rivalry current until this day.
Fury landed a clean right cross on Wilder, and before he had the opportunity to reset completely, Wilder hammered him with a right cross-left hook combo, leaving a lifeless body on the canvas. Wilder’s right hand was floating lower than usual, and it caught Fury off-guard during his right-side duck.
In what became an emulation of The Undertaker, Fury rose from the dead before the referee could count to ten, and he managed to finish the fight. With that said, it was nothing but instinct that carried Fury to the final bell, nobody had survived the fight-ending power of Wilder in past wars, and despite seeing starts, the challenger fought back incredible heart. Intelligently, Fury refused to continue ducking Wilder’s right hand but instead counter struck with a right of his own.
Despite controlling the action and dominating the numbers, Wilder’s knockdown managed to secure a drawn contest, which has been highly disputed ever since.
Fury vs. Wilder 2
The rematch was inevitable the moment that Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder 1 ended in a draw, and despite giving an exceptional performance the first time round, bookies in the UK continued to put faith in Deontay Wilder’s one-punch knockout power.
Unlike the first meeting, Fury left no questions unanswered and had conjured the perfect gameplan to deal with Wilder’s offence. And the blueprint became clear once Fury pressured significantly more than the first fight.
Aggression and pressure had Wilder backpedalling right up until the 7th round finish, a position that Wilder was uncomfortable and unused to.
Another dominating performance from “The Gypsy King” gave Wilder’s corner no choice but to throw in the towel and dispute it all you like, but the facts are that Wilder could barely stand from the fifth round onwards.
Fury had become the first boxer in Wilder’s 41-fight career to defeat him and solidified his position as the world’s greatest heavyweight boxer.
Fury vs. Wilder 3
The trilogy has suffered its own bouts of drama, including Covid-19 complications, cancellations, and the fact that Wilder required a day in court to receive the trilogy fight.
For the first time during his professional career, Deontay Wilder entered a contest as the betting underdog. Bookmakers aren’t falling for the same trick, following a rematch where Fury had knocked Wilder senseless for seven straight rounds.
“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 out of all of them.” – Tyson Fury
There’s no denying that Wilder is the most dangerous fight for any heavyweight boxer. Still, the significance in skill differential was so lopsided in favour of Tyson Fury that Deontay Wilder will literally be relying on his right-hand landing clean.
Wilder’s game plan is a lot simpler than attempting to collect the boxing expertise of his opponent that’s been garnered through a lifelong set of events. He and his team have to find a tactic to land the right hand; however, Fury’s blueprint was already written and delivered during the second encounter – a position I believe has more chance of success this weekend.