FROM the extraordinary ring walk to the explosive stoppage, it was a bravura performance.Tyson Fury was carried into the ring, shoulder high on a throne, in a crown and regal robes, singing along to Patsy Cline’s Crazy.
BETTING SPECIAL: GET 30/1 ON FURY OR 50/1 ON WILDER FOR HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CLASH
He had told us all week that he’d overpower the heavyweight division’s greatest knock-out artist, Deontay Wilder, but few believed he was capable of winning in the manner he did.
Roared on by thousands of British and Irish fight fans, Fury performed a demolition job Fury so comprehensive that there was little appetite for the trilogy bout in Las Vegas in the early hours of tomorrow.
That re-match – after a thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December 2018 – was almost 20 months ago now, shortly before the global sporting lockdown.
Before that first bout, we had assumed Fury was far too early in his comeback to take on an unbeaten Wilder for the WBC crown. We were wrong.
Before the second bout, we knew he was a far superior boxer but we did not see him piling into the American from the first bell to the surrender of the towel from trainer Mark Breland in the seventh. Wrong again.
Fury says he’ll go for broke again, while Wilder has boasted of his 238lb frame, having been able to bench press 350lbs in training.
Heavy or not, if Wilder can’t box to orders, Fury will reign supreme once again.
Las Vegas once again awaits a titanic clash.
Follow ALL the updates with our live blog below…
RESULTS SO FAR
Robeisy Ramirez def. Orlando Gonzalez by unanimous decision
Bruce Carrington via Cesar Cantu via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
Viktor Faust def. Mike Marshall via TKO – Round 3
PUNCHES IN BUNCHES
Robeisy Ramirez is throwing heavy, heavy shots in his featherweight bout with Orlando Gonzalez Ruiz.
IRON MIKE WEIGHS IN
Boxing legend Mike Tyson is rooting for Tyson Fury to retain his WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder.
The Gypsy King will no doubt be buzzing with his namesake’s public shoutout.
NERVOUS ENERGY
Deontay Wilder believes he sensed some nervous energy from Tyson Fury during their socially-distanced face-off last night.
Is the Bronze Bomber right? We’ll find out in a few hours.
SNEAK PEAK
Take a look at the inside of the T-Mobile Arena, which will soon play host to the third instalment of Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder.
RUN ORDER
Here’s the down-low on how this evening’s eagerly-anticipated card will proceed.
TALE OF THE TAPE
As if you needed reminding, here’s how Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder stack up ahead of their trilogy fight.
How Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder stack up ahead of the trilogy fight
TYSON 2.0
Mike Tyson has sent a good luck message to Tyson Fury ahead of his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder.
Speaking on Twitter, Iron Mike said: “The eyes of the Gods of war are upon you @Tyson_Fury #FuryWilder3.”
Earlier in the week, Tyson predicted a win for his namesake, explaining: “Deontay Wilder have nothing to be sad about… I just think Tyson Fury has his number.”
PUNCH PERFECT
Here’s how things looked last time out…
NO JOSHING
Anthony Joshua has triggered his Oleksandr Usyk rematch clause, Eddie Hearn has revealed.
The promoter said: “Today we officially triggered the rematch for Oleksandr Usyk fight, which we’ll see early next spring.
“Back in the game and we’re looking for him to become three-time world champion.
“A few niggles in camp for AJ, Usyk had a bad cut, it’s officially triggered, we’ll sit down with K2 Promotions and I think March is when you’ll see that fight.
“This was a disappointing loss to a pound-for-pound great.
“We don’t need to get back in the game with 10-rounders, he needs to rip those belts off Usyk.”
PREDICTIONS
Eddie Hearn: “Fury is a huge favourite but Wilder has the ability to end a fight at any time. It’s heavyweight boxing and that’s why it is so exciting. Fury wins on points.”
David Price: “I’m going to go with another Fury win again. I think it’ll be a sustained beating. I think Wilder will start quick and then Fury will just take over in the mid to late rounds and stop him.”
Oleksandr Usyk: “I don’t think too much about who wins. It will be a good fight. Don’t write Deontay Wilder off since he always has the knockout punch. I am not good at making predictions.”
Dana White: “I think Fury’s too good. I think Fury’s got that number.”
Credit: Getty Images – Getty
FIGHTING TALK
Deontay Wilder insists rival Tyson Fury ‘hasn’t seen 100 per cent’ of him ahead of Saturday’s trilogy fight in Las Vegas.
He told 78SPORTSTV: “Tyson Fury gave me the best of him. But he hasn’t seen 100% of me, no-one has.
“I’ve always came in with injuries or something wrong with me. Some say, ‘Well, why did you do that?’ I’m a warrior.
“I’m a king, you’re a peasant. We are not equal.”
SETTINGS
And here she is! Just glorious. Fury vs Wilder gets underway from 4am BST.
TRIPLE THREAT
How will their third fight go?
Tyson Fury was floored in his first fight with Deontay Wilder, which ended in a drawCredit: AP:Associated Press
But he came back to decimate the Bronze Bomber in their rematch, dropping Wilder twiceCredit: Reuters
TAY SAY WHAT?
Deontay Wilder has complained about rival Tyson Fury’s gloves AGAIN ahead of tonight’s trilogy fight in Las Vegas.
Wilder told 78SportsTV: “We had a little situation with the gloves. I already got word of some funny stuff going on in the back of the gloves.
“What happened was Fury’s glove that he’s chosen, which is the same thing he had last time, had little to no padding.
“The rest of it was horse hair, we thought horse hair was illegal and out of the question but they said it was [OK], so we said cool.
“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’.”
LENNOX PREDICTS
Lennox Lewis is sitting on the fence with his prediction for Fury vs Wilder 3.
“I’m a bad predictor. It is going to be a fantastic fight,” he said.
“Tyson Fury has a lot more tools and weapons that he can use.
“Deontay went back and learned a couple of tricks he can put to use he’ll have a good time in there as well. So all around it is going to be a good fight.”
HAVE ZLAT
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged Tyson Fury to ‘keep making history’ by smashing Deontay Wilder.
The 40-year-old AC Milan ace posted a video message on social media, saying: “Tyson Fury my friend what’s up. I hope you’re well, I hope the camp went well.
“I hope your family is well and I hope everything is like it should be. I want to wish you big luck even if you don’t need it – you’re on that level
“Keep making history and people admire you, you’re an inspiration for everybody so keep doing what you’re doing and be yourself.
“Do me a favour, just go out there and dance in the ring and do what you have to do. Take the belt home and keep going, keep striving, keep pushing.”
Fury responded on Twitter by saying: “Lions eat first, thank you Zlatan!”
TALE OF THE TAPE
Here’s how the two fighters are shaping up ahead of their clash.
Just to add…
Wilder: 238lbs
Fury: 277lbs
How Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder stack up ahead of the trilogy fight
SUGARHILL PREDICTS
“It’s going to be a knockout. Tyson knocks Wilder out,” Steward said.
“That’s what I believed last time and he’ll do it again this time, just in a more electrifying fashion. Everything we’ve been doing, he’s got better.
“He’s learning new things and the object and the goal is to get better. That’s for me and Tyson. I wanted to make Tyson Fury the best Tyson Fury.
“The things we’ve been working on have him on the road to being the best.”
FURY ROAD
Tyson Fury has vowed to ‘kick the s**’ out of brother Tommy if he loses to Jake Paul.
Their dad Big John told TalkSport: “Tommy is over there [in Las Vegas] giving his support [to Tyson].
“He’s got his own thing that’s going to be going on shortly with this Jake Paul fella.
“Tyson said if Jake Paul beats him, he’s got to change his name because of some stupid stuff – which he should do!
“If he can’t beat Jake Paul I’ll smash him to bits with a bamboo stick myself.
“Tyson, his brother, said ‘right, we’ll kick the s*** out of you as well!’ [if he doesn’t win]. So, no pressure [laughs].”
AJ PREDICTION
Anthony Joshua is picking Deontay Wilder to cause an upset tonight in Las Vegas.
“Let’s go with Wilder because he seems obsessed, like he really wants it.
“A focused man is a dangerous man, and he’s focused. Wilder might get the decision. Actually, no… it has to be a knockout. One of them will knock the other out.”
Credit: PA
STAR ATTRACTION
A host of star-studded names from Hollywood and sport are set to be ringside to watch Tyson Fury defend his world title against Deontay Wilder.
Silverscreen actors Vince Vaughn, Michael B. Jordan and Michael J. Fox will be ringside.
NBA basketball stars Draymond Green and Damian Lillard will also be there along with disgraced cycling legend Lance Armstrong.
Rappers Fat Joe and Nas, TV star Mario Lopez and chef Wolfgang Puck are also both due to be near the front row for the fight.
Meanwhile boxers Shakur Stevenson and Terence Crawford will be watching their peers settle their differences between the ropes for the last time.
WEIGH-IN
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder both weighed in at their heaviest ever weights.
The Brit came in at 19st11lbs – five pounds heavier than in the pair’s second fight.
And at 17st, Deontay Wilder weighed in at a full half a stone heavier than he did in his last bout with Fury.
Fury, known traditionally as a great boxer but not so much for delivering knockouts, promised more of the same after he bulked up to KO Wilder in the seventh round 18 months ago.
The Gypsy King promised his extra weight would mean “total obliteration of a dosser. Total annihilation”.
Fury also mesmerised the crowd by stepping onto the scales in the same hat The Undertaker wears.
The champ was compared to the WWE legend during his first fight with Wilder when he looked to have been knocked out cold but got up to beating the count in the 12th round.
And going into this bout, Fury promised the Deadman that Wilder would “Rest in Peace”.
Wilder meanwhile sacked a member of his team, Mark Breland, for throwing in the towel last time.
But Fury labelled the Bronze Bomber and Breland’s replacement, Malik Scott, “a pack of losers”.
However Wilder claims he has calmed down since the last fight and is confident of victory.
Credit: The Mega Agency
FIGHTER COMPARISON
It’s pretty fair to say that Fury and Wilder are two completely different fighters.
In years gone by, Wilder has been known for his one-punch knockout power, his ferocious finishes and the mighty torque he gets into his right hands.
He’s often been criticised for his lack of traditional boxing technique, having picked up the sport late in his life, before managing to secure himself an Olympic bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
But Wilder has rarely ever needed boxing technique to get through his fights, boasting an incredible 41 knockouts from his 44 fights.
Fury, on the other hand, has been boxing since he was a child, and is known for his excellent footwork, feinting, double-jabbing and ring IQ.
He outwitted the great Wladimir Klitschko in their world title clash back in 2015 and outboxed Wilder for long periods of their first fight in 2018, though it ended in a draw.
Fury does pack a heavy punch, however, as he showed in his rematch with Wilder, but it’s his boxing which allows him to set up the offensive side of his game.
HOW TO WATCH
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 is being broadcast live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK.
The fight will cost £24.95 on BT.
In the US the event will be live on ESPN+ and Fox PPV.
talkSPORT will bring you live and exclusive radio commentary of Tyson Fury’s heavyweight trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder this Saturday night.
Download the talkSPORT app to listen.
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