LOS ANGELES -- While it might not be the biggest fight that could be made in the heavyweight division, it's certainly close. On Dec. 1 the WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) will face off against former IBF, WBA, WBO, and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs). The fight will air live on Showtime pay-per-view and is a very important bout for both fighter's careers.
The most dangerous punch in boxing right now comes from the right hand of Wilder. When he lands that right hand clean it usually results in a knockout win. At 6-feet, 7-inches tall and with a reach of 83-inches, Wilder is a massive heavyweight with a lanky frame and he gets plenty of torque on his punches. Recently he has tried to develop a better left hook but that punch is still a work in progress. Wilder's jab is an incredibly important punch for him because it helps him find the distance for his right hand. Often, when he can't get his jab going the right hand doesn't land. Yet, when he does get the jab working consistently the right hand follows with devastating results. Wilder fights out of the orthodox stance and his style is about as far from conventional as one can get. At times he throws wild, looping punches and has a bad habit of backing straight up with his hands down. So far he hasn't paid the price for those bad habits but he did have to survive a few scary moments against Luis Ortiz in his last fight.
Ortiz was arguably the toughest opponent of Wilder's career. They fought in March of this 2018 and while Wilder did score the knockout he also took a while to get warmed up and seemed to be on the brink of getting stopped in the seventh round. By winning that fight Wilder showed he could weather the storm and still come out on top. He also holds two wins over Bermane Stiverne and a slew of other veteran, if not top shelf, opponents. Against Fury, Wilder will be looking to make the eighth successful defense of his WBC title and he's also clearly eyeing a fight against Anthony Joshua.
Fury is one of the few heavyweights who is actually taller and longer than Wilder. Know as "The Gypsy King," Fury stands at 6-feet, 9-inches tall and has a reach of 85-inches. What he lacks in power he makes up for in boxing skills. While his moves might not look that smooth or pretty because of his size, he is actually highly skilled and often mimics Roy Jones Jr. Fighting out of the orthodox stance, Fury likes to work behind a busy jab and he is light on his feet and moves well in the ring. He is a very difficult opponent to catch clean or consistently and he can also tag opponents when they do try to catch him since he has a nice left hook and a skilled right hand. However, the chin of Fury is questionable and he was dropped by Steve Cunningham, a light-hitting cruiserweight masquerading as a heavyweight. If Wilder catches Fury clean like Cunningham did, it could be lights out.
When it comes to size, Fury has a slight advantage. When it comes to experience, Fury has a massive advantage. While Wilder came to the sport later in life, Fury was born into it. He comes from a fighting family and was even named after famed heavyweight Mike Tyson. He has handed more than a few fighters their first career loss, including Dereck Chisora and in 2015 he beat the best heavyweight of his era, Wladimir Klitschko. That win gave Fury the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts and also made him the lineal heavyweight champion. However, shortly after that fighter he fell into a cycle of drug use and depression and was suspended for that drug use. He gained a massive amount of weight during that time and was out of the ring for three years. Since returning to the squared circle, Fury has gone 2-0 but those wins came against lesser opponents and seemed more like exhibitions than real bouts. Now Fury will try and prove that he's ready to be back at the top of the division.
The saying "styles make fights" is overused in the boxing world but sometimes it's also completely true. That is definitely the case with Wilder and Fury. Wilder is far and away the bigger puncher and one shot from him at any moment can end a fight in an instant. While Fury doesn't have anywhere near that type of power he is far more skilled than Wilder and has the ability to outbox any heavyweight. Look for Fury to work his jab and stick and move from the outside while picking his spots to slow things down and clinch on the inside. Wilder needs to focus on his jab early. If he can start landing that jab consistently he will start to land the right hand and that's when he can get Fury in trouble.
PREDICTION: Even though he hasn't faced very good opposition since returning to the ring, Tyson Fury is still a highly skilled boxer who should be ready for Deontay Wilder. Fury will get out to an early lead and will have a comfortable lead on the cards before his demise. Wilder does a nice job of staying the course and he won't let Fury frustrate him. Eventually a right hand from Wilder will catch Fury flush and he will knock him out in the 10th round.
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| Wilder moments after crumpling Luis Ortiz |
Ortiz was arguably the toughest opponent of Wilder's career. They fought in March of this 2018 and while Wilder did score the knockout he also took a while to get warmed up and seemed to be on the brink of getting stopped in the seventh round. By winning that fight Wilder showed he could weather the storm and still come out on top. He also holds two wins over Bermane Stiverne and a slew of other veteran, if not top shelf, opponents. Against Fury, Wilder will be looking to make the eighth successful defense of his WBC title and he's also clearly eyeing a fight against Anthony Joshua.
Fury is one of the few heavyweights who is actually taller and longer than Wilder. Know as "The Gypsy King," Fury stands at 6-feet, 9-inches tall and has a reach of 85-inches. What he lacks in power he makes up for in boxing skills. While his moves might not look that smooth or pretty because of his size, he is actually highly skilled and often mimics Roy Jones Jr. Fighting out of the orthodox stance, Fury likes to work behind a busy jab and he is light on his feet and moves well in the ring. He is a very difficult opponent to catch clean or consistently and he can also tag opponents when they do try to catch him since he has a nice left hook and a skilled right hand. However, the chin of Fury is questionable and he was dropped by Steve Cunningham, a light-hitting cruiserweight masquerading as a heavyweight. If Wilder catches Fury clean like Cunningham did, it could be lights out.
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| Fury working the body of Francesco Pianeta |
The saying "styles make fights" is overused in the boxing world but sometimes it's also completely true. That is definitely the case with Wilder and Fury. Wilder is far and away the bigger puncher and one shot from him at any moment can end a fight in an instant. While Fury doesn't have anywhere near that type of power he is far more skilled than Wilder and has the ability to outbox any heavyweight. Look for Fury to work his jab and stick and move from the outside while picking his spots to slow things down and clinch on the inside. Wilder needs to focus on his jab early. If he can start landing that jab consistently he will start to land the right hand and that's when he can get Fury in trouble.
PREDICTION: Even though he hasn't faced very good opposition since returning to the ring, Tyson Fury is still a highly skilled boxer who should be ready for Deontay Wilder. Fury will get out to an early lead and will have a comfortable lead on the cards before his demise. Wilder does a nice job of staying the course and he won't let Fury frustrate him. Eventually a right hand from Wilder will catch Fury flush and he will knock him out in the 10th round.
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