DAVID HAYE believes Tyson Fury is risking his life jumping back into the ring with Deontay Wilder.
He fears the Gypsy King’s decision to change trainers for this weekend’s WBC heavyweight title rematch could backfire.
David Haye reckons Tyson Fury is endangering his life fighting Deontay Wilder for a second timeCredit: Getty Images
Brit ace Fury, 31, dropped friend and long-time trainer Ben Davison in December and replaced him with American coach SugarHill Steward, who has only spent a month in his corner in 2009.
But former heavyweight king Haye compared the switch to having your parachute packed by a stranger when you are just about to leap out of a plane.
The 39-year-old said: “You’re going into a situation where your life is on the line.
“Are you going to trust the guy who has packed your parachutes 100 times in a row?
“Or are you going to trust someone else when you don’t really know how they pack a parachute? You’d get the tried-and-tested guy who has been there through the tough times.”
Fury and Wilder drew their first fight in Los Angeles in 2018 following the Mancunian’s sensational final-round resurrection from the canvas.
Before Fury’s backroom swap, Haye fancied former sparring partner Wilder, 34, to edge the rematch in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday.
Fury hit the deck in the first battle but amazingly recovered to continueCredit: Getty Images
But since the break-up of what looked like a water-tight Team Fury, the ex-cruiserweight champ now makes American Wilder a clear favourite to win.
The Londoner expects KO artist Wilder to target Fury’s scarred right eye — which needed 47 stitches after his win over Otto Wallin in September — before going in for the kill.
The Hayemaker added: “The fact Ben is not in his corner is the biggest factor in the fight.
“I thought it was an uphill struggle. Even with Ben in his corner, I would have edged towards Wilder slightly, maybe 55-45 in Wilder’s favour.
“You’re fighting someone who only needs to hit you once and it’s over. You need to make sure that your defence is more airtight than ever before.
“To trust that to someone who you’ve had no history with, it’s a big, big gamble in the biggest fight of your career. It’s a tough one to make.
“In my mind, particularly with the big cut he got in his last fight, it just needs one or two shots from Wilder and that cut is open — then you’ve got one eye.
Haye claims Fury’s preparation isn’t going to planCredit: Getty Images
“Beating Wilder with two eyes is hard enough. Now you’ve got one eye, a new coach, a new corner team, it’s a tough, uphill struggle.”
Haye has also heard worrying details about Fury’s sparring form in training that he hopes are red herrings.
The former three-belt champ flew in three British youngsters and a few American prospects to chase him around the ring, mimicking Wilder’s one-punch power and tactics.
And Haye insists a leak in Fury’s camp revealed he has struggled implementing his new aggressive gameplan ahead of the MGM Grand showdown.
He said: “I haven’t been hearing the positive things in camp from the sparring partners.
“I can only go by the whispers you hear on the boxing circuit and, according to that, it’s not the preparation required going into such a high-pressure fight.
“I don’t want to get into details. It’s all a rumour mill. I’ve just heard he’s not looking as good as people would have hoped.”
Yet Fury claims his preparations are running perfectly.
He said: “I’ve got the right sparring partners. I’ve got the trainer. Everything is as it should be.
“I’m having it as serious as I can. I can’t prepare any better than I have.
“I’m getting to bed early, I’m eating the right foods. I can’t remember having a fight where everything was going so well.”
- BT Sport Box Office will show Fury v Wilder 2 exclusively live in the early hours of Sunday on BT TV, Virgin TV, Sky, online via the web or the BT Sport Box Office App. See bt.com/sport/box-office
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
