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WILDER V FURY II - A BATTLE OF THE UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHTS

 

via ytCropper

Next month, we will witness one of the most highly-anticipated boxing matches of the year. A battle between two undefeated heavyweight champions and a rematch of their last bout which ended in a split draw. We are, of course, talking about Wilder v Fury II. Deontay Wilder has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2015 and is currently the world’s second-best boxer in the division, according to BoxRec and The Ring magazine. Tyson Fury on the other hand, is a former unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight champion and is ranked as the world’s best active heavyweight by The Ring. It’s bound to be another close encounter and the latest Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury betting odds have the Gypsy King to edge it.

The Bronze Bomber

Wilder is the one-punch king, having won 42 of his 43 fights and 41 of them by way of knockout. A formidable and powerful force in the ring, he boasts an incredible knockout-to-win ratio of 98%, with 20 of those 41 coming in the opening round. His only win by decision came in January 2015, when he beat Bermane Stiverne unanimously to win the WBC heavyweight title. 

Since facing Fury for the first time, Wilder has continued to retain his title and he looks to defend it for a twelfth time in their upcoming bout. Last year, he faced two opponents: Dominic Breazeale, who he dispatched in the first round, and Cuban Luis Ortiz who proved a much tougher test. It took seven rounds for the Bronze Bomber to assert his dominance and land the killer blow – three rounds quicker than their previous encounter in March 2018.

Wilder recently teased about a potential UFC-crossover and told ThaBoxingVoice: “I’ve spoke [sic] out about that before, of course, for me I’ll fight you in my sport and I’ll come to your sport and do it too. But I wouldn’t mind going into his world as well too. One for one. May the best man win.”

Now Conor McGregor v the Bronze Bomber is a fight we’d love to see!

The Gypsy King

With a record of 29 wins from 30 fights and 20 of them coming by knockout, the Gypsy King may not have as much experience in the ring but his list of accolades is far more impressive than his opponent’s. Fury famously became the unified heavyweight champion when he defeated Ukrainian giant Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision in November 2015. The victory also earned him ‘Fighter of the Year’ and ‘Upset of the Year’.

After vacating his titles due to mental health and other personal issues, Fury began his comeback trail in January 2018. That year, he continued his winning streak, beating Sefer Seferi in his home city of Manchester, and Francesco Pianeta on points. Since facing Wilder, Fury has also had two victories in the ring. He won the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title from Tom Schwarz in the second round, and more recently, settled for a unanimous decision win over Otto Wallin.

Talk has recently been all about Fury’s change of coach and he’s teamed up with the nephew of legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward, Javan ‘Sugar’ Hill. Explaining the decision, Fury said: “I know I am not going to get a decision in the United States. I hired him for a knockout. That’s the game plan.”

He has also vowed to knock Wilder out in the second round – “You are going to sleep in two rounds. I keep having the same dream about round two. I am playing poker and I get dealt the number two card. He is getting knocked out in round two, 100%” he said.

Verdict

February 22nd is going to be a battle of two heavyweight greats where one knockout blow will win it. If Fury can land that killer punch, he will be victorious. Otherwise, we think it will go all the way and come down to the judges’ scorecards – in which case, Wilder will retain his title once more.

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