WE’VE had the trash-talking, shoving, bold predictions and am-dram pantomime antics.
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury did their level best to pretend that they feel hatred and contempt for one another when they faced off before this weekend’s WBC world heavyweight title rematch.
Deontay Wilder knocked Tyson Fury down late in the 12th roundCredit: Alamy Live News
The Gypsy King looked as if he was out for the count as the Bronze Bomber started celebratingCredit: AP:Associated Press
Fury then stunned the boxing world from rising from the canvas to earn a drawCredit: Reuters
But when conversation turned to the subject of the Glorious Twelfth, the truth emerged.
The final round of their original contest at the Los Angeles Staples Center in December 2018 served as Fury’s rebirth as a world-class fighter and provided Wilder with a reputational breakthrough, despite having already held his title for almost four years.
That night, the Bronze Bomber floored the Gypsy King with a devastating combination.
Like the rest of us in the room, TV commentators predicted that the Brit would not be getting up. Yet Fury rose from the canvas, finished bullishly, and ended up feeling robbed by a draw. As a result, both men lost their immaculate professional records, yet enhanced their reputations.
And when they were asked about those final three minutes, neither man could hide their respect.
Wilder must be thinking, ‘I hit him with my two best punches and he got up, so what have I got to do to keep him down?
Tyson Fury on his 12th round recovery
Fury said: “Round 12 was a great round. Credit to Wilder, he caught me with the two best punches I’ve ever seen thrown in the 12th round of a heavyweight fight.
“The knockdown of the Gypsy King has been very, very active online all over the world.
“But Wilder must be thinking,‘I hit him with my two best punches and he got up, so what have I got to do to keep him down?’”
Wilder replied: “It felt good to hit him and drop him — but it also felt good to see him rise.
“Because it meant the fight lived up to the hype. Fans want to see knockdowns. And when they see a guy knocked down like that and then he gets up, that makes for a great fight.
“I’m not mad, it was a controversial decision that leads to now — an even bigger fight, with more intensity and a more devastating knockdown.
“This time I’ve got six-foot nails and a hammer from Alabama to keep him down.”
The unwritten rules of the fight game state that this sort of mutual appreciation should only break out after the two pugilists have left each other bloodied, bruised and breathless.
Beforehand, it should all be bombast and bluster.
And they tried, with an unconvincing ‘spontaneous’ shoving match at the MGM Garden Arena stage.
Fury even called Wilder a “p***y” who needed to polish his world-title belt for him.
And Wilder claimed his opponent has “pillows for fists.”
Fury, who is the natural wind-up merchant of the two, claimed Wilder was nervous and rattled by his words.
Wilder told Fury he should become a stand-up comedian after he knocks him out. Then they told one another that they had been the making of the other’s career — Wilder going below the belt with his statement that Fury had been “strung out on cocaine and wanting to kill himself” before their original fight.
And there was truth in all of that. Fury had failed a drug test, been banned from the ring, ballooned in weight and contemplated suicide.
After his resurrection in the City of Angels, he has since won widespread admiration and recognition in the States and around the boxing world.
This time, Fury claims he will come out like a bull in a china shop and knock out Wilder in the second round.
In truth, new trainer Javan ‘SugarHill’ Steward would be a mug to suggest he attempts anything of the sort.
The Brit will be bulkier than in LA, Steward having been brought in to increase his aggression and power.
But the basics remain — Wilder is boxing’s most explosive puncher, while Fury is a 6ft 9in, 19st beast with Fred Astaire feet.
As Wilder said, it means his opponent “has to be perfect for 36 minutes, I only have to be perfect for two seconds.”
The champion has been waiting almost 15 months for the chance to finish off Fury and said “It’s torturing me as the hours drop, as the minutes and seconds fall” during fight week.
Wilder is bored by gobbing off and the stage-managed handbags designed to flog pay-per-views. Like Fury, he craves glory. Can they conjure anything quite as glorious as the 12th?
Tyson Fury could ‘box Deontay Wilder’s ears off’ claims Frank Bruno
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
