Tag Archives: Tyson Fury

Posted on 10/14/2021

By: Romer Cherubim

Tyson Fury’s 11th round knockout of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas crowned a masterful performance by Fury. However, we should be aware that Fury has a team, which has also contributed to his success. The development of this match-winning team started when Fury returned to boxing in 2018 after a two and half year absence from the sport.

On his return to the ring, Fury joined forces with the experienced promoter Frank Warren. Warren arranged two tune-up fights for Fury in quick succession, knowing full well that it was important not to throw Fury in at the deep end, but instead re-introduce Fury to heavyweight boxing gently.

Fury fought Sefer Seferi on 09 June and then Francesco Pianeta on 18 August. Fury won both fights and, in the process, had much needed ring time. These fights served as preparation for the real test for Fury – his challenge for the WBC title against Deontay Wilder on 01 December 2018. The match was judged a draw amid much controversy as many commentators considered that Fury had done enough to win the fight. The Gypsy King then fought Tom Schwarz on 15 June 2019 and Otto Wallin on 14 September the same year, with Fury again winning both contests.

In all Fury’s comeback fights, he was trained by Ben Davison, who was widely credited for helping Fury to lose weight so that he could be in the best possible condition to fight. Following the Wallin fight and with a rematch against Wilder in mind, Fury however considered that he could not take the chance of fighting Wilder again and leaving the decision in the hands of the judges.

Fury, therefore, hired Javan ‘SugarHill’ Steward to be his new head trainer for the rematch against Wilder. SugarHill is the nephew of Emmanuel Steward, the famous trainer of heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko. SugarHill Steward was a natural choice for Fury’s new head trainer as SugarHill had worked at his uncle’s Kronk Gym when he first met Fury in 2010. As a trainer, SugarHill has a more attack based philosophy, encouraging Fury to add to his obvious skills as a boxer and become a dangerous fighter. This approach was exactly what Fury needed when fighting Deontay Wilder for the second time.

Tyson Fury fought Wilder again on 22 February 2020. Fury took the fight to Wilder and dominated the rematch, winning by way of technical knockout in the seventh round. Fury, of course, went one better in the trilogy fight on 09 October, knocking out Deontay Wilder in the eleventh round. Fury was effusive in his praise of SugarHill after the fight, saying: ‘I need to thank my trainer. Without this man, I wouldn’t have knocked him out.’

If further proof is needed that Tyson Fury truly has an embarrassment of riches in his team, he also has the support of Bob Arum. This Harvard-educated lawyer and boxing promoter secured Tyson Fury a lucrative five-fight deal with ESPN and Top Rank after Fury’s first fight with Wilder. Arum is essentially responsible for making Fury the well-known name he is today in the US, given that four of these five fights have taken place in Las Vegas, with the last fight yet to take place.

The Gypsy King is now the man to beat in heavyweight boxing. Fury is now the only unbeaten heavyweight, who has had all his fights as a heavyweight. Whenever Tyson Fury hangs up his gloves, he can be justifiably proud of his achievements. Knowing how magnanimous Fury is, he will surely also be grateful to all those, who helped him along the way.

Posted on 10/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Like many who were watching, Eddie Hearn was glued to his television set.

This past weekend, both Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder staged one of the most epic heavyweight battles in recent memory. The two clashed at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and were bombs away from the opening bell. With each man scoring numerous knockdowns, Hearn was on the edge of his seat.

By the time the dust cleared, it was Fury who was the last man standing, scoring an 11th round stoppage win. Despite Wilder picking up his second straight knockout defeat at the hands of Fury, Hearn couldn’t help but tip his cap to the hard-hitting former titlist.

“I think his credibility has gone through the roof,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “Although he looked like his tank was empty after two rounds, he stuck in there. He could not even stand up and he kept going. I give him credit, fair play.”

Wilder, 35, may have seen his bid to become a two-time heavyweight champion come to an end, but the Alabama native is far from done. According to head trainer Malik Scott, Wilder is already planning a return to the ring, but not before a long rest.

As for what could be next for the Olympic Bronze medalist, there’s a long list of highly-ranked contenders that Hearn believes could make for intriguing showdowns. Amongst them, are the likes of Dillian Whyte, newly crowned heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, and long-time rival Anthony Joshua.

Matchups against any of those previously mentioned names, however, would see Wilder as a prohibited underdog. At least, in the opinion of Hearn. While he respects Wilder and the ridiculous knockout power he brings to the table, Hearn is steadfast in his belief that unless Wilder lands his money punch, he’ll not only lose to Whyte, Usyk, and Joshua but he’ll do so quite easily.

“Whyte would do exactly the same to Wilder that Fury did, in terms of being too big and too strong but could also get KO’d. AJ, too sharp, too good a technician but could also get KO’d. Usyk would school Wilder, but could also get KO’d.”

Posted on 10/12/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There was an overwhelming self-confidence within the camp of Deontay Wilder. The former WBC heavyweight titlist and new head trainer Malik Scott were fully convinced that the title reign of Tyson Fury was coming to an abrupt and violent end.

The two would square off for the third time in their respective careers this past Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Things started off fairly strong for Wilder in the opening round. The heavy-hitting Alabama native landed several jabs to the body and repeatedly found a home for his favorite weapon, the right hand. Wilder’s momentum, however, was short-lived as Fury dropped him in the third round.

Unwilling to allow Fury to have an easy night at the office, Wilder turned the tables in the following round, scoring two knockdowns in the period. The pair would go on to trade hard blows throughout the duration of their showdown. Amid their nip and tuck battle, Wilder appeared to be visibly gassed. Fury, on the other hand, took full advantage, dropping Wilder in the tenth and once more in the 11th. The latter represented the fight-ending blow.

As Wilder was taken to his corner to seek medical attention, the Alabama native appeared to be despondent with the way things played out. While the former heavyweight titlist is ultimately disappointed, Scott won’t allow him to sulk over his recent defeat.

“We lost to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time from any era – Tyson Fury,” said Scott to IFL TV. “Is there really shame in that? I wouldn’t even allow Deontay to put his head down.

Wilder, 35, vowed to strip Fury of his WBC title in explosive fashion. In the fourth round, he appeared to be on his way to doing just that. After landing a flush right hand in the final minute of the round, Fury hit the deck. The British native peeled himself up off the canvas but would reconvene with the matt just a few seconds later.

From about the sixth round on though, Wilder appeared to be fighting on a completely empty gas tank. The hard-hitting former champion huffed and puffed as he struggled with the pace of Fury. Still, Wilder refused to give up. Even after Fury ended their showdown with a right hand to the temple that saw Wilder crash down to the canvas, he rose to his feet just a few seconds later, although referee Russell Mora had already waved off their contest.

Considering the grit, determination, and audacious demeanor of Wilder throughout, Scott is proud of what he was able to accomplish.

“I’d never allow him to feel down about giving his all like that.”

Posted on 10/10/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Leading up to his third, and presumably, final showdown against Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury warned his long-time rival that he would receive a beating like no other.

Originally, the two tangoed on February 22nd, 2020 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time, Wilder was viewed as almost an indomitable force. Having stopped all but one of his opponents, Tyson Fury in their first encounter in 2018, Wilder walked into their second contest as a considerable favorite.

Despite the public backing of oddsmakers, Fury ignored the naysayers and went on to hand Wilder a one-sided stoppage defeat, the first of his career. With the two squaring off once more, this time at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Fury predicted a more brutal beating.

Although Wilder had plenty of strong moments, one of which includes two knockdowns in the fourth round, Fury ultimately dusted himself off and pounded Wilder throughout. After a nip and tuck first half, Fury dominated down the stretch. With Wilder completely gassed during the championship rounds, Fury uncorked the fight-ending shot in the 11th round.

Before Wilder’s body hit the canvas, referee Russell Mora waved off their contest. An extremely jubilant Fury immediately jumped onto the top ropes and screamed to the jam-packed Las Vegas crowd in excitement.

Given the opportunity to reflect on how things ended, Fury believes the blows he landed on Wilder could force him to step away from the ring for good.

“He was getting tired and fatigued,” said Fury following his victory. “I hit him solid with a crunching right hook right upside the temple. Shots like that end careers.”

Promptly following the win, Fury leaned across the ropes and began saying a prayer. Once it concluded, Fury walked over to the corner of Wilder and attempted to shake his hand. In spite of Fury’s sportsmanlike gesture, Wilder was uninterested in letting bygones be bygones.

Although Fury was hoping that the pair could bury the hatchet and move on, he’s accepted that Wilder’s disdain for him may continue to linger for much longer. Regardless of the post-fight snub, Fury has wished Wilder a speedy recovery.

“I just hope that he’s okay, he took a lot of punishment.”

Posted on 10/10/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There was a look of determination in the eyes of Deontay Wilder. With the sting of a one-sided defeat hanging over his head for roughly a year and a half, Wilder took his frustrations and began diligently working on his skills.

With so much time to gel with new head trainer Malik Scott, Wilder’s confidence was through the roof as he stepped through the ropes to face Fury once more. For the Alabama native, not only did he want his WBC title handed back to him, but he wanted to wrap it around his waist while Fury’s blood was plastered all over it.

As the two stood toe to toe at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, last night, Wilder appeared to be on the verge of having his wish granted. The pugnacious heavy hitter peeled himself up off the deck in round three to drop Fury twice in the following round. To Fury’s credit, however, he staggered to his feet and ultimately went on to register the stoppage win in the 11th round.

For Wilder, reality has slowly set in. The 35-year-old former titlist has always been dubious to the notion that Fury beat him on a fair playing field. In addition to that, Wilder was convinced that if he came into their trilogy in peak form, then Fury would have essentially no chance.

Now, however, Wilder is slowly coming to grips with what took place last night.

“I did my best,” said Wilder. “But it wasn’t good enough. I’m not sure what happened.”

Before both Wilder and Fury swapped fists in front of a jam-packed Las Vegas, crowd, Wilder wowed the boxing world with his new physique. Having packed on considerable more muscle for the third installment of their showdown, Wilder was convinced that the extra girth was needed in order to stand and bang with the much larger Fury.

But, even as Wilder tipped the scales at 238 pounds, he was still outweighed by approximately 40 pounds as Fury came in at a career-high 277 pounds.

All along, Wilder believed he knew that Fury’s game plan was to use his size to wear him down. In the end, no matter how much weight Wilder added to his normally slender frame and regardless of showing the ability to bench press well over 300 pounds, Wilder concedes that Fury’s game plan ultimately worked.

“I know that in training he did certain things, and I also knew that he didn’t come in at 277 to be a ballet dancer. He came to lean on me, try to rough me up and he succeeded.”

Posted on 10/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Deontay Wilder simply won’t move off his stance that he was cheated during his second showdown against Tyson Fury on February 22nd, 2020.

When looking back at the tape, Wilder couldn’t believe what he was watching. At various times during their contest, Fury’s gloves appeared to bend unnaturally. Not only did Wilder point to the unusual formation of Fury’s gloves but the one-time WBC heavyweight titlist also stated on numerous occasions that it felt as though Fury’s gloves were loaded with a hard egg-like substance.

As the Alabama native waits patiently for revenge, he’s been alerted to something abnormal with the gloves of Fury yet again. Although the two are scheduled to face off later on tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wilder isn’t going to summarily sweep this latest incident under the rug.

“We had a little situation with the gloves,” said Wilder to 78SportsTV. “I already got word of some funny stuff going on in the back of the gloves.”

Wilder, 35, proceeded to not only voice his displeasure with the gloves Fury selected but he also went as far as to present the commission with evidence to further back his claim.

“When I got into the room I immediately asked about the gloves. I was telling them [the commission officials] about certain things that happened in the first event with his gloves being funny, how they were bending and folding, even showing certain clips of it. They said they’ve been around boxing 25, 30 years, everybody feels since they’ve been around it they are some type of expert. But if you haven’t put a glove on and hit someone in the face to understand what type of damage it could do, or how mechanically a glove can work, it’s 25, 30 years down the toilet.”

Footage that was captured by team Wilder depicts the gloves that Fury has chosen to wear later on tonight. The gloves in question, are the same exact kind Fury chose for their second meeting last year.

In accordance with the rules before every boxing match, gloves are thoroughly inspected by the commission. That would include cutting open said gloves and checking the padding. However, as team Wilder took a close look at the gloves themselves, they noticed that there was little to no padding.

Initially, team Wilder was apoplectic with Fury’s selection. Nevertheless, once they were given the green light, Wilder has ultimately bit his tongue concerning the matter.

“You can cut open a glove all day and look inside and still not know what’s going on,” continued Wilder. “What happened was Fury’s glove that he chose, which is the same thing he had last time, had little to no padding. The rest of it was horsehair, we thought horsehair was illegal and out of the question.

“They opened up my glove and my glove padding is at least two to three inches thick. His glove looks like they’ve already been used, already folded, bended, like they’ve been thrown in the trash and got back out and say, ‘we’re gonna reuse these’.”

Contrary to Wilder’s belief, horsehair gloves are in fact, not illegal and are fully permitted. But while Fury isn’t bending the rules, Wilder continued to voice his displeasure with what’s taking place.

“My argument was that this is not enough padding in these gloves. They were trying to convince me the horsehair in the gloves makes up for everything because the horsehair is actually harder than the foam. I was telling them they were wrong because the thing about the horsehair is that over time the horsehair can spread. If it spreads, the horsehair gets thinner, that way you only feel that small padding that’s under the horsehair but they said it was okay, so we said cool.”

With Wilder’s words giving him no help in the matter, he’s decided to take things into his own hands. In an effort to level the playing field, Wilder has now opted to swap out his own gloves.

“I’m very happy with what’s going on with the gloves. Since they wanna have little to no padding, we’re going to have the same. May the best man win.”

Posted on 10/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Antonio Tarver couldn’t help but notice the appearance of Deontay Wilder on the scales. The former heavyweight titlist has routinely weighed in at just over 200 pounds throughout his career. Despite fighting men who were considerably bigger than he was, the slender frame of Wilder never affected his ability to stop his opposition.

Wilder’s penchant for coming in lighter than normal though, proved to be his detriment early last year. On February 22nd, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wilder came in heavier than usual, stepping onto the scales at 231 pounds. Despite the added weight, Wilder was outweighed by Tyson Fury by over 40 pounds. That in turn, allowed Fury to bully the Alabama native all across the ring.

As the two prepare to do it all over again, this time at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wilder looks noticeably bigger. With Fury packing on even more pounds this time around, Wilder has come in at 238 pounds, most of which appear to be solid muscle.

Although both Wilder and head trainer Malik Scott believe his new physique will aid him in dealing with Fury’s gargantuan frame, former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver isn’t so convinced.

“Wilder added on some muscle,” said Tarver during an interview with FightHype.com. “A significant amount of weight. I guess he felt, he was a little bit too small. Now, is he going to use this weight and muscle to his advantage? A lot of times, when you bulk up, it slows you down a little bit. That quick-twitch muscle slows down a lot. I think Wilder is going to need to be fast and quick. A lot more faster than he was in the rematch. If that muscle don’t slow him down, he could use it to his advantage.”

On numerous occasions, Wilder has released video of himself lifting well over 300 pounds on the bench press. The reasoning behind Wilder’s new look is simple, he won’t allow Fury to zap his legs when he leans and holds onto him.

Even with Wilder looking leaner and bigger than before, he still walks into his trilogy against Fury at a decided weight disadvantage.

After Wilder showed the boxing world what he’s been working on over the past year and a half, Fury stepped onto the scales heavier than ever. In total, the WBC heavyweight titlist came in at 277 pounds. Considering that Fury has never come in heavier, there’s a growing belief that his preparation for Wilder wasn’t optimal.

Those sentiments, however, is something that Tarver has openly shrugged off. In no way, shape, or form does he expect the extra pounds to diminish Fury’s performance later on tonight.

“The guy is heavy anyways. Anything under 300 pounds, he’s still effective. You saw that in the last fight.”

Posted on 10/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Deontay Wilder could be described as loquacious, jittery, and pugnacious when it’s time to fight. But, with his third installment against Tyson Fury taking place in just a few short hours at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Alabama native has seemingly changed.

The two originally squared off for the second time in their respective careers on February 22nd, 2020. During the lead-up to their bout, and every single contest Wilder has had during the course of his career, the hard-hitting former heavyweight titlist told all who would listen that he would find a way to end their showdown early.

This time around, however, with the sting of his first defeat via seventh round stoppage, he’s decided to take a different approach. At times, Wilder has refused to address the media or even Fury himself. Instead, he oftentimes wore headphones and blocked out the noise. Wilder’s now stoic demeanor has become a part of his persona.

With an entirely new perspective on how he should approach his showdown against Fury, Wilder has found that less is more.

“Calmness is the key to the storm,” said Wilder. “I know when I’m not calm, my mind is cloudy. When your mind is cloudy, it allows you to make bad decisions. When you’re calm, you can weather the storm, when you’re calm, you’re able to see certain things and make great decisions. I’m looking to be calm this fight.”

Fury, 33, has laughed at Wilder’s new insight. With the British native registering a one-sided stoppage win in his previous contest against Wilder, he believes that if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Still, despite Wilder heading into their showdown with a clear and level head, oddsmakers simply aren’t buying it. Currently, Fury is pegged as a sizable favorite. The betting public, as well as naysayers who are standing against him, seem to have no effect on Wilder and his mental preparation.

For the past several months, new head trainer Malik Scott has stripped Wilder down to the bare meat and bones and worked on sharpening his fundamentals. That, in turn, has led Wilder to believe that he’ll repay the favor to Fury later on tonight with a knockout victory of his own.

“Redemption is upon us.”

Posted on 10/08/2021

By: Kirk Jackson

This weekend, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO’s) faces “The Gypsy King” Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO’s), in what looks to be the final heavyweight contest between the two, for the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles.

Although, more is at stake than just world titles.

“I don’t have anything to prove. I’m in a great place and in a great state of mind. I have a lot of great people around me. This fight is about redemption, retaliation, and retribution.”

“Many people thought I was down and out, but it wouldn’t be fair to the people around me to feel that way. My dedication has been focused every day. My energy is like my mind, it’s very violent. I’m just ready to go October 9. I’ve dedicated myself and devoted my time and my body, me and my team, to reinventing myself. I’m ready to reintroduce myself to the world.” 

– Deontay Wilder

This time you won’t get up https://t.co/sPlN7HUTv8 pic.twitter.com/vpIKTXjz3W

— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) October 2, 2021

Billed as Once and For All, this event, alleges to be the final chapter between the parties. 

“Wilder is a weak person mentally and I’m going to knock him out on Saturday night. I obliterated him in the rematch and I see much more of the same in the third fight.” 

“I’m the last man standing between me, Deontay and Anthony Joshua. I’m the last one undefeated. I’m the two-time heavyweight champion and I’ve never lost a fight. That’s history. He’s in denial and he’s getting knocked out. His legacy is in bits. I knocked him out and now I’m going to retire him.”

– Tyson Fury

The Champ is here! #furywilder3 @BronzeBomber ‘you’ve been beat, you’ve been humiliated and you’ve been busted! End of. And that’s it. There’s NOONE here that can accept the fact that this P*ssy got his ass handed to him NOT once, NOT twice and he can’t do NOTHING about it!’ pic.twitter.com/9QpgDGNw1h

— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) October 7, 2021

This trilogy is quite unique, with the various aspects attached to the storylines surrounding each participant. Whether it’s the trainer, the fighter, promoter, or reporters involved.

With the event that is the fight, there are elements of international pageantry, genuine levels of dislike between the two combatants, along with a mixture of other factors, that make for an exciting weekend and potentially historic occurrence. 

One of the biggest questions looming over this encounter, is what has changed from the second bout to this upcoming engagement?

What kind of changes will we see from Fury and perhaps more importantly, what kind of changes will we see from Wilder? 

Wilder is slightly older and widely considered by most boxing pundits, to be at a technical disadvantage. 

But his technical deficiencies, as many like to claim, especially those of the Fury fanbase, are exaggerated. Fury’s fanbase is mentioned because they do him a disservice by minimizing the skillset and accomplishments of his most noteworthy adversary. 

Something to keep in mind, for fans and reporters alike, the more they diminish the skills and greatness of Wilder, the more it takes away from Fury’s accomplishments. 

For those standing firm behind the assessment of Wilder cannot fight and is unskilled, this is the very same fighter, who dropped Fury twice during their first encounter. This fighter is an Olympic medalist and earned the praise of legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, uncle of Fury’s current trainer, SugarHillSteward.

Fury’s victory over Wilder is his most celebrated to date and launched him into cross-over, star status. In essence, Wilder helped resurrect Fury’s career. 

Fury’s own father oftentimes, expressed concern for his son’s well-being while facing Wilder; due to the dangers of that vaunted right hand from The Bronze Bomber.

“Tyson Fury is very conscious of Deontay’s abilities. We’re just concentrating on being sharp and being focused. There’s always more to learn in boxing and Tyson is learning and having fun with it.” 

“It’s exciting to be here. I believe in what the Wilder camp has been working on. I’ve looked at the clips. It gets me motivated to keep working with Tyson. We’re expecting nothing less than a knockout.”

– Head trainer of Tyson Fury, SugarHill Steward 

Wilder’s path to retribution, is configuring the stylistic puzzle of Tyson Fury, implementing the proper game plan, and administering enough punishment to secure victory. 

The question is, how do you overcome an opponent, physically bigger, taller, longer, with tremendous skill and boxing ability? How do you contend with a fighter, who is also willing to get physical, tenacious, and will use any means to ensure he wins?

Keys to Victory for Deontay Wilder:

o The path to victory for Wilder, maybe through the belly of the beast. Easier stated than achieved, but one of the main staples for success will be beating Fury’s body like a drum.

o Move away from the clench and keep head level with Fury’s.

o Stay off the ropes, which prevents the Fury from man repeated grappling.

o Throw with a higher frequency, aim to punch more in combination to keep Fury guessing.

o Establish the jab early, to establish range. Must be consistent with the jab.

o Practice patient hostility. Provide the constant threat of attack, without over-exposing your defense and avoid being comprised for a counter-punch, or clinch.

“I’m a student of the game. Deontay, in my opinion, ruled the heavyweight division just using one or two weapons. Being in training with him, I used to always say that a lot of his skills weren’t being used. He got content knocking people out with one weapon.”

“I went into Deontay’s toolbox and pulled everything out that he did well. I wanted to make sure that we drilled it over and over again. I didn’t teach him anything new. Deontay Wilder can do it all, I just pulled some of those things out of him.”  

“When it comes to working on Deontay’s fundamentals, he has good fundamentals, he just didn’t always use them. I’m just reminding him about tools that he wasn’t using.”

– Head trainer of Deontay Wilder, Malik Scott

Keys to Victory for Tyson Fury:

o Be alert and active. Cannot afford to be too relaxed or take Wilder lightly.

o Counter Wilder’s jab. 

o Make Wilder reset, back Wilder up. Fury would benefit from pressing Wilder at certain points, utilizing his footwork and size to push Wilder against the ropes, negating his punching power.

o Invest in attacking Wilder’s body, to drain the energy and power.

o Grapple, hold, fight dirty like the previous encounter.

o Adaptability is the greatest asset. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, but it’s imperative to adapt, change strategy, and implement tactics when prompted.

Not settling for ordinary and chasing greatness, both fighters operate on the same beat.

If the Bronze Bomber is to reclaim his crown, he must overcome all odds. He is the underdog, he has been left for dead, many fans, analysts/reporters, boxing legends of the sport, do not speak favorably of him, so he will not be the beneficiary of preferential treatment or support. 

It’s not quite as particular, but he draws parallels to Jack Johnson.

Fury displayed multiple times throughout his career he is willing to do whatever it takes to win. Whether it’s against Christian Hammer, Otto Wallin, Steve Cunningham, Wladimir Klitschko, Wilder himself, Fury will do whatever he can, to win. It’s second nature to him.

When that kind of person is your opponent, at the very least, you must match that energy and will, if not surpass it. Eye for an eye. 

As it’s well documented, Fury, who handed Wilder his first professional defeat, overcame his own adversities and is living his redemption story. Fury wants to maintain his spot as the king of the hill. That current path does not include any pit stops.

If Wilder wants to re-create his redemption story, forge his path to becoming the greatest of all time, or the best of his era, he must go through Fury. Generally speaking, excuses may be valid, but greatness does not settle and accept excuses. 

Their first encounter featured the narrative of Fury and his comeback. The sequel continued that story arch and highlighted Fury’s pinnacle achievement. 

The third fight may feature redemption in a different form. Wilder, aims to pose as the Phoenix rising from the ashes. That is the American dream right, or the storybook ending for Wilder. Or perhaps Fury will prove storybook endings across this platform, in this reality, do not exist.

Posted on 10/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

All that was needed to be said had already taken place. All that was left, was one more ceremonial weigh-in.

As Deontay Wilder stepped onto the scales for his heavyweight showdown against Tyson Fury, the former WBC belt holder packed noticeably more weight and muscle this time around. The Alabama native came in at 238 pounds, a career-high and seven pounds heavier than their previous contest.

As for Fury, the self-proclaimed Gypsy King has always been the much bigger man. Although he tipped the scales for their second showdown weighing 273 pounds on February 22th, 2020, Fury opted to come in even heavier, officially weighing in at 277 pounds, one of the highest of his career.

Wilder’s insistence to add more girth to his normally slender body, stems from how their second showdown played out. With Fury holding approximately a 40-pound weight advantage, Wilder was bullied throughout their contest. Now, with Wilder claiming that he’s not only worked on his overall skills but his physicality as well, benching well over 300 pounds, he believes that he’s much more equipped to deal with a much larger man.

In spite of Wilder packing on the muscle, Fury is unbelievably confident that Wilder is in for a long and painful night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I’m going to annihilate him,” said Fury following the weigh-ins. “He’s going to be unrecognizable.”

Posted on 10/06/2021

By: John “Gutterdandy” Walker

WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury of the UK has hit back at the consistent circulating rumors regarding his readiness to defend the belt against the man he took it from, Deontay Wilder of the USA, this coming Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) has been dogged by gossip — that has only grown louder as the fight approaches — to the effect that he has not prepared properly for his first-ever title defense. The final fight of a trilogy with Wilder comes after Covid-19 delays and the scrapping of a proposed “megafight” with now former unified champ Anthony Joshua that was close to becoming reality.

Among those spreading these rumors has notably been Matchroom Boxing head honcho Eddie Hearn, who said in a recent interview that, “I just don’t think [Fury[ is in the kind of condition he was for the second fight” with Wilder.

“He had the first fight fall through with COVID and he’s been flying backwards and forwards. I just don’t think he’s had the ideal preparation at all,” Hearn continued.

While Hearn said he thought Fury would win the third meeting between the two men, he also stoked doubts by saying that this supposed lack of preparation on Fury’s part would mean that the powerful 

American might take advantage of a lapse of concentration on the part of his British opponent. 

“Is [Fury] ready to beat Deontay Wilder?” Hearn asked rhetorically.

“Probably,” Hearn continued, “but the problem is, when you fight Wilder, as Luis Ortiz found out, you can just win every single round, and if you switch off for a nanosecond, the fight is over. So that’s the only reason this fight is intriguing.” 

Likewise, former British cruiserweight and heavyweight champion David Haye has also been stoking the “Fury’s not ready” rumor mill, telling talkSPORT that, “I’ve seen Tyson Fury not preparing as he did the second time ’round [against Wilder].”

“Maybe there’s some overconfidence going into this fight.” Haye–who is himself angling for a comeback fight against Fury–excitedly continued. “Maybe he’s so supremely confident from the second fight that [Fury] believes he’s going to roll into this third fight and it’s going to be a home run straight away.”

Fury has now hit back at the rumors swirling around him, from Hearn, Haye, and others, attributing the gossip to his intentional lack of a social media presence as he prepared for the upcoming fight with Wilder.

The rumors, Fury recently told Steve Bunce of BT Sport, “are because I’ve been off social media for so long.”

Noting that, in order to focus, he had banned those in his camp from posting footage of his training camp on various websites, Fury explained that “when you’re not on social media, all of a sudden you’ve gone on a mad bender! Because, the world is controlled by social media, or so it seems.”

As for the culprits responsible for spreading such blasphemous rumors about him, Fury was direct.

“It’s mainly my rivals whose talk this is,” a bemused Fury told Bunce.

“Now I seen Eddie Hearn said I’m not ready and I’m not focused, but, wouldn’t you think he’d shut up now that his man [Anthony Joshua] has been beaten again?”

Hearn, Fury explained, “has no relevance here in Las Vegas, for me, talking about me. Why does it matter to him what I’m doing, I don’t get involved in his business at all. I don’t care what [Hearn and Joshua] do, it’s none of my concern.”

Tyson Fury is, however, ready to get involved in at least one aspect of Hearn’s business. He has offered to train Matchroom heavyweight and former champ Joshua personally–at no cost –with the guarantee that his on-again, off-again opponent A.J. will win a rematch with new unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine.

“If I trained Joshua [for the rematch], he’d definitely beat Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury opined, apparently in earnest.

“And I would be open to doing it. I’ll do it for free because I don’t need the money. I guarantee [Joshua] would beat him!”

No doubt this “generous” offer from the WBC heavyweight champ was also meant as a sly shot at Joshua’s now widely criticized approach for his latest, disastrous outing: a unanimous decision loss against the former unified cruiserweight king Usyk.

Posted on 10/06/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There is absolutely no love lost between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. For years on end, the two have gone back and forth with one another. At one point, a matchup between them appeared to be on the horizon. However, things have failed to materialize.

Despite Fury believing that Joshua is nothing more than a muscular brute with no true skills, Fury is willing to offer him a helping hand.

On September 25th, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the United Kingdom, Oleksandr Usyk upset the applecart by scoring a surprisingly dominant victory over Joshua. Usyk – who came into their showdown approximately 20 pounds lighter – boxed, moved, and at times, even bullied Joshua en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Following his defeat, Joshua shortly announced that he would invoke his immediate rematch clause. Promoter Eddie Hearn has since stated that he believes the pair will tango once more in the first quarter of 2022.

While Fury has never been too fond of his fellow British rival, the current WBC heavyweight titlist has revealed that both he and his trainer, would have no problem offering their level of expertise.

“I know if trained Anthony Joshua, me and Sugar Hill trained him for this next fight, he’d definitely beat Oleksandr Usyk,” said Fury to Boxing on BT Sport.

Heading into their showdown, the skills of Usyk were mostly dismissed due to the size and girth advantage of Joshua. Regardless of those assumptions, the Ukrainian had little to no trouble navigating the heavyweight waters. Usyk controlled the center of the ring early on and closed strong in the final round, even appearing to have Joshua on the verge of hitting the deck.

Although it’s unclear of whether or not Fury, or Hill for that matter, would be willing to train Joshua, the WBC belt holder wants to assure his fellow Britt that his services will come without a price tag.

“I would be open to doing it. I’d do it for free because I don’t need the money. We would take on that challenge.”

Posted on 10/05/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jared “Big Baby” Anderson is going to have to see it to believe it.

For months on end, Wilder has released several short clips of himself pounding away at the mitts with new head trainer Malik Scott. Wilder, who’s known for his skull cracking knockout power, has shown new wrinkles during those workout clips. Not only does he still have arguably the biggest right hand in boxing history, but he seems to have added more sophisticated boxing to his arsenal.

In spite of Scott stating on countless occasions that Wilder is new and improved, Anderson simply isn’t buying it.

“I think Tyson wins again,” said Anderson to FightHype.com.

Fury, 33, made it look incredibly easy against Wilder when the two met for the second time on February 22nd, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2020. Fury may have been an underdog on the night, but he proved oddsmakers wrong by pounding Wilder in the early portions of their contest, before dramatically stopping him in the seventh round.

With Fury holding well over a 40-pound weight advantage, Anderson is confident that history will repeat itself on October 9th, when the two do it again.

“I think middle, probably five or six rounds,” continued Anderson. “I don’t see it going the distance. Tyson is a big dude and if he got the same weight that he had before, I definitely think he’s stopping him again.”

Sitting front row at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this coming weekend to witness his prediction, will be Anderson. But first things first, the undefeated heavyweight prospect will have business to attend to.

Opening up the pay-per-view portion of the card will be none other than Anderson as he takes on Vladimir Tereshkin. Although Tereshkin holds an unblemished record through 23 pro fights, he hasn’t fought in nearly two years. Should Anderson do what many are expecting, which is to pick up the quick stoppage win, he’ll nestle into his ringside seat to watch Wilder vs. Fury up close and personal.

Part of Anderson’s reasoning behind picking Fury, stems from the controversy surrounding Wilder following his defeat. As Fury continued to wallop Wilder throughout their showdown last year, Wilder’s now former cornerman, Mark Ireland, threw in the towel.

The moment he did, Wilder was filled with rage and immediately released him from his team. In addition to canning him, Wilder has gone on record stating that he believes Breland not only stopped his contest against Fury prematurely but that he also spiked his drinking water.

Considering what Wilder has said about his former cornerman, Anderson is convinced that the former heavyweight titlist is impetuous. Because of that, and several other factors, the heavyweight prospect doesn’t see Wilder making the necessary adjustments to win.

“No,” answered Anderson when asked if things will be more competitive this around. “Only because I think Deontay Wilder is hard-headed. I think he don’t wanna listen. Just by the way he acted towards his coach when they stopped the last fight. It let me know that he don’t think like oh it was for my benefit. I think he’s hard-headed, I don’t think he’s going to listen to anybody really so I think it’s going to be the same result.”

Posted on 10/05/2021

LOS ANGELES – ESPN and FOX Sports announce broadcaster assignments for Fury vs. Wilder III fight week with three former champions, veteran hosts and Hall of Famers set to call the action from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  

Highlighting the week, three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis returns with undefeated former two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward to call ring action with veteran play-by-play announcer Brian Kenny on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 9:00 PM ET.    

Helming the desk will be FOX Sports host Kate Abdo, along with two-time welterweight champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter and well-known ESPN boxing commentator Max Kellerman. Abdo will also host the weigh-in (Friday, October 8, on ESPN2 and FS2 at 5:00 PM ET) and the main event press conference (Wednesday, Oct. 6,on ESPN2 and FS1 at 5:00 PM ET). Joining her for the weigh-in are Porter, Lewis and Ward. Kenny moderates the main event press conference alongside Porter and Lewis. 

FOX PBC reporter Heidi Androl will join ESPN commentator, Bernardo Osuna, to handle reporting duties for fight night. Osuna will also handle fighter interviews during the weigh-in show and serve as interpreter on fight night, while International Boxing Hall of Famer Larry Hazzard returns as the unofficial scorer and rules expert. 

Rounding out the broadcaster lineup for the week is ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., who will appear at all three events. The Hall of Famer returns after announcing Wilder vs. Fury II. 

Spanish-language coverage for Fury vs. Wilder III includes play-by-play from FOX Deportes’ Adrián García Márquez and four-weight world champion Erik Morales, along with famed ESPN Deportes broadcaster David Faitelson and veteran ESPN Deportes boxing journalist Carlos Nava with analysis. FOX Deportes’ Jaime Motta provides live reporting and interviews ringside.  

Wilder vs. Fury III production will include a unique mixture of innovative camera mounts, super slow motion and high resolution. FOX Sports will add a pair of JitCam cranes on opposite sides of the rings, one with the ability to move up to 100 feet along a track from one side of the venue to the other. A Dynamicam, a mini three-axis cable cam system, functioning as a wired “drone” on the reverse side of the ring, will fly over the audience. A super high-resolution “c360” camera will be used above the ring in the place of a conventional robotic overhead to allow infinite zoom and pan functions to that position. 

Additionally, FOX Sports will have an ultra-slow-motion camera on the reverse side of the ring, sporting a one-of-a-kind high-resolution lens to give a cinematic “Raging Bull” feel to replays.  In addition, there will be several wireless cameras, including FOX Sports’ Megalodon shallow depth-of-field camera, made famous as part of FOX NFL coverage last season. 

Of the 30-plus cameras, all ring coverage will be in super slow mo. On the audio front, FOX Sports will employ more than 50 wired and wireless microphones, including mics on referees and trainers.

Posted on 10/05/2021

By: John “Gutterdandy” Walker

TYSON FURY’S FIRST TITLE DEFENSE

One has to wonder how Britain’s Anthony Joshua getting pummeled by the new unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine and losing all of his belts in a fight that many predicted would be a walkover for A.J., is going to affect the psyche of the current WBC champion Tyson Fury, the British compatriot of Joshua’s who (surprisingly to some) has actually never defended a world heavyweight title belt, despite being a two-time champ.

Fury first held the unified WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring titles after defeating the aging, long-time champ Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. He twice failed to honor signed rematches with the dethroned Ukrainian champion due to a variety of personal problems, including narcotics addiction, alcoholism, and depression, and ended up surrendering the belts due to inactivity, failed drug tests, and failure to fight his mandatory opponents.  

Fury later regained a world title belt in 2020 with his rematch victory over former WBC champion Deontay Wilder of the USA, who he faces again next weekend to complete their heavyweight trilogy.

Joshua’s devastating–and unexpected by most boxing “experts”–loss to Usyk only heaps more pressure on Fury, the man who many deem responsible for the scuppering of a proposed heavyweight mega-fight with “A.J.”–a bout that will now likely never have the same appeal as it would have before Joshua got blitzed and schooled by Usyk.

Joshua, of course, has come back from defeat before, after losing his titles to Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr., who dethroned him in June 2019, only to lose in a rematch in December of that year. Ruiz, however, had ballooned up to nearly 300 pounds and refused to train for the rematch. But it would be very foolish to assume that former undisputed cruiserweight champion and Olympic gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk is similarly going to let becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world go to his head.  

For now, Tyson Fury now has the weight of trying to keep at least one title belt in the UK–which has taken over from Germany, the home of the heavyweight division during the Klitschko brothers’ reign– on his shoulders. Joshua is apparently planning on an immediate rematch and might take a worse beating now that Usyk knows what to expect. Unless A.J. drastically changes his approach (and somehow finds a new chin!), it’s hard to see the result changing next time. Even Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn seems to recognize this. Usyk is just too good.

So the pressure on Fury next weekend will be IMMENSE. Deontay Wilder, love him or hate him, can stop not just Fury, but freeze out the entire UK heavyweight boxing scene, with one punch. And there is no doubt as to Wilder’s punch power.

Anthony Joshua dethroned: A stark warning for Tyson Fury?

TYSON FURY “MINDS HIS OWN BUSINESS” (!!!)

So how will Fury react to his now changed situation?

In a press conference this week, Fury struck an uncharacteristically reserved tone. He had very little to say about the Joshua loss, hilariously stating that he always “minds his own business” (anyone who has heard Fury’s ranting interviews, filled with put-downs of other fighters as “big dossers” and “bums” over the years, should have been roaring in laughter at that line).

Journalists in the presser tried in vain to get Fury to react to Joshua’s humiliation and Wilder’s angry pronouncements about their upcoming fight. Fury wasn’t having it.

It feels as if, having seen what happened to Joshua at the hands of Usyk, Fury is unwilling to further tempt fate. The shock of seeing his British compatriot lose his belts to Usyk has obviously made a deep impression. Fury kept bringing the presser back to the one thing on his mind: the danger the powerful Deontay Wilder poses as a man who only needs one punch to end any fight he’s in. Unlike Joshua, Fury wasn’t looking ahead. Any topic other than the Wilder fight would have to wait for another day.

JOSHUA-USYK POST-MORTEMS 

If the build-up to the Joshua-Usyk bout was unusually quiet, the aftermath of the fight was the exact opposite. Boxing “experts” had already proven that they don’t know anything more than the rest of the world by almost universally writing off Usyk before he had even stepped into the ring. They reacted with a mixture of shock and embarrassment at Usyk’s dominant performance.

Red-faced scribes scrambled in the aftermath of the fight to try to ascertain why their pick had failed so badly. Some even found fault with Joshua’s ring walk, finding his relaxed air as he strode to meet Usyk while fist-bumping with friends and family unbecoming for a heavyweight champ.  Lennox Lewis had his thousand yard-stare, Vitali Klitschko rang “Hell’s Bells,” but AJ lacked the proper seriousness, and wasn’t menacing enough for a heavyweight champion, according to some experts.

Perhaps closer to the mark was Peter Fury, uncle of Tyson and father of another heavyweight contender, Hughie. According to Fury, Joshua had misinterpreted Usyk’s previous bout against Dereck Chisora, where the Ukrainian looked a bit rusty after an injury layoff, and while winning, was at times pressed hard by the veteran British heavyweight (Chisora had also given a prime, pre-injury Robert Helenius a tough time, and even pushed Vitali Klitschko hard in their one meeting).  

Joshua attended the Chisora-Usyk fight and in the aftermath of a tough win by the Ukrainian, indicated that Usyk would be no problem for him. How wrong he was. 

DID JOSHUA BELIEVE HIS OWN PRESS?

In fact, the evidence going into the Usyk vs Joshua bout was that, as he was when he made his debut on American soil and got battered by Andy Ruiz, Joshua was once again looking past an opponent.  

Even a few days before the fight, the boxing headlines read, “ANTHONY JOSHUA: I’LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO FIGHT TYSON FURY.” The UK press especially was stroking the champ’s ego, and once again he seemed guilty of believing his own hype — the press line that Usyk was a mere obstacle to be brushed aside on his way to the megafight with Tyson Fury that had once been so agonizingly close. 

UK boxing impresario Eddie Hearn, who had just signed Joshua to a lifetime promotional deal, even got in on the act, dismissing Usyk as a blown-up cruiserweight who would never be an authentic player in the heavyweight division!  

From early on in their meeting, when Usyk shocked the champ by knocking him across the ring, A.J. appeared to be shocked, if not fearful.. Usyk wasn’t listening to the press. He wasn’t the guy Joshua had been told by almost everyone to expect. He was, despite his often playful demeanor outside of the ring, what Peter Fury called a very “serious guy” and a brilliant boxing technician.

By the end of last Saturday evening, Joshua would again be an ex-champion.  

He had failed on two of the biggest fight nights of his career: his American debut against Ruiz, and his meeting with the former undisputed cruiserweight king in front of 70,000 people in London.