Wilder-Fury 2
One of the more anticipated heavyweight championship fights of the past twenty years is finally here. After thinking we were going to get an immediate rematch after their first fight we were forced to wait as each of them took a couple fights and now we are back to where we should be. This should be a good one and also rare in that we have a PPV fight where the odds in Vegas are almost even instead of 5-1 like most PPV mismatches they try to sell us.
Going over the first fight quickly, I, like most people had Fury winning. But I would not call the draw a robbery or a black eye for boxing like a lot of the know it alls you see on tv. I gave Fury 9 out of 12 rounds but with Wilder scoring two knockdowns my final score was 115-111. Some early rounds were close so a controversial decision but not the worst I had ever seen.
The common sense theory for Fury to win would be to do what he did in the first fight which is to box and avoid Wilders big right hand and a decision victory should happen. Avoiding that big right hand though is harder than it may seem. As for the talk from Fury and his camp that he is coming in heavier than the last fight because he wants to stand with him and knock him out, I do not believe it. I barely ever believe any of the pre fight talk from fighters and trainers. If Fury uses his movement and jab and trades when it is to his benefit then I think he has a very good chance to win.
When it comes to Wilder there is just one thing to talk about, his power. In my opinion he is the hardest punching heavyweight of all time. Bigger than Foreman, Tyson, Liston and Marciano. I do not believe he should be rated higher than those guys for overall ability but single punch power he stands alone. Another underrated tool he brings is his heart and desire. Always in shape and he has been hurt several times in fights and he always finds a way to come back.
This is a tough fight to pick. The odds in Vegas are almost even with Wilder a very slight favorite. That is mostly because in both guys two fights since their first one Wilder has fought and beat better competition than Fury has. What it comes down to for me is who is the better fighter. In my opinion that is obvious, its Fury. He is better in every department other than punching power. I feel there is a better chance that Fury outboxes him than Wilder landing that big shot. And even if he does it better be his A+ right hand because we’ve seen in the first fight that Fury has a good chin and very good recuperative powers if he is hurt. While I would not be shocked if Wilder does land the big one I am going with Fury.
Prediction
Fury UD 12
Undercard
-Look for Albany’s Amir Imam on the undercard fighting former US Olympian Javier Molina in a very good fight on paper.
-Another decent heavyweight scrap on the undercard featuring fringe contenders Charles Martin against Gerald Washington. If you are looking for a fight to bet where you can get good odds this is the one. Washington is almost a 3-1 underdog and I have him winning.
-Emanuel Navarrete is defending his WBO Super Bantam title on the undercard as well.
Alex’s Boxing Picks-2/22/2020-
Wilder vs Fury II – The rematch of a fight of the year candidate from 2018, this heavyweight attraction promises to be another can’t miss fight! These two are going to start on round 13 of what was a fantastic back and forth fight last time around and I expect to see a lot more drama before this fight is done. Tyson Fury has had a bizarre journey over the course of his career and it is all by his own doing. Fighting his way up to his first major title shot he eventually shocked the world with a 2015 upset of then heavyweight king pin Wladimir Klitschkothis was followed by a severe mental breakdown which included drug issues and weight issues as well to put it simply his out of the ring life grew tumultuous. It would be almost 3 years before he boxed again he came back for a pair of get well wins in the summer of 2018 before stepping up to the new top fighter at heavyweight-Deontay Wilder. The fight was an instant classic, back and forth action from both fighters leading to a violent chess match that most at ringside saw Fury winning by a round or 2 before the final round. Fury was dropped and out cold in the 12th from a pair of vicious shots by Wilder and despite the fight appearing over he not only beat the count but arguably won the rest of the round! The fight was scored a draw and that is why we are here to see it all play out again hopefully to a more decisive result.
Their initial meeting was all that you could ask for in a big heavyweight marquee event. In between this fight and their last meeting each fighter has fought twice and each has won twice, but it is Wilder who has the better pair of wins between them. Both of his wins have also come by KO whereas fury had a hard time with a relatively unknown fighter his last time out and had to go the distance for a decision. Wilder has lost more rounds in the ring since their last meeting but he continually has shown that it doesn’t matter how he starts in a fight because he can always bail himself out with his power.
Both are unconventional fighters style wise and both of them move better than you would think they would. I know that Wilder can be very messy at times with the way he throws punches especially when he has a guy hurt and is looking to finish. He can also place his shots beautifully look at his 2 fights with Luis Ortiz, the knockout of Artur Szilpka, or the KO of Dominic Breazeale. The man finds a way to land his right hand in fights and it only takes one shot to end a fight he can never be counted out due to this power. It is a difficult task to avoid those shots for the full 12 rounds, that being said Fury got pretty close to shutting those out their first fight! Fury is a slick fighter for a big man he moves well around the ring, has fast hands, and sticks with his jab. He did a great job sticking the jab and moving around Wilder during their first fight and he was able to build combinations and stack points up by out boxing Wilder. I know during the prefight press conferences Fury has talked a big game about knocking out Wilder and he may very well have that intention but I don’t expect him to fight that way unless he gets Wilder in very bad shape. I expect him to box on the outside and smother Deontay when they get close. I think Fury is going to fight in an awkward and frustrating style in an attempt to negate any right hands from Deontay. This may make for a tedious fight especially because I see Deontay being patient enough to wait for just one opportunity to land his signature shot and he will be content to stalk Fury around the ring with his guard high.
While I usually pick the better boxer over the puncher, I feel the need to go with Deontay for this fight. I think there is a higher chance that he can land one shot to put Tyson Fury out of it than I do that Fury will avoid the right hand all night and box his way to a win. Pick- WILDER BY KO ROUND 9 OR LATER