It doesn’t get much bigger than Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder, and the heavyweight trilogy has lived up to expectations.
The fighters have been verbally sparring in the lead-up to Sunday’s fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which is always a strategy to get more pay per views. However, there seems to be genuine dislike between The Gypsy King and The Bronze Bomber.
The sportsbook has Fury at -300 to land consecutive wins over Wilder, who is unlikely to enter the ring wearing a ridiculous get-up.
Fury Dispels Unhealthy Claims
Tyson Fury told the media he felt awful last week, which prompted questions about his fitness. However, the Brit believes he’s ready to go and would never make an excuse for a poor performance.
“Am I a hundred percent? I’m a million percent! Look at me, I’m in fantastic shape,” Fury told Badlefthook.
“I’m as fit as a fiddle, I’m sparring 12 rounds, I’ve got the best sparring partners in the world. I’m absolutely ready. I’m ready today, tomorrow, and forever. I’ll always be ready and I’ll never make excuses because that’s not me. I get in, I do the best I can, don’t make any excuses, and get on with it.”
This is why we love @Tyson_Fury pic.twitter.com/a4AauMlWqQ
Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) September 26, 2021
The 30-0-1 fighter has never been beaten, so he has every right to be confident. Fury has beaten some of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing, and he’ll continue moving on to the next fighter.
“When I beat Wilder I’ll be on to the next one, so on and so forth. It’s never about the opponent, I don’t care what they’re gonna do, I don’t care what they bring to the ring — it’s the Tyson Fury show,” he added.
Boxing betting markets have Fury at -300 to defend his title, which is short. He has attracted solid action throughout the months leading up to the fight, but we expect late money to come for the American.
Legacy on Line for Wilder
There have been questions about what Deontay Wilder is hoping to achieve in the boxing ring. Many believe he’s just there for a big pay day, including former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
“I like Wilder, but is he going in there to win or is he going in there for a big payday?” asked Tyson.
“Is he really going in there to win?”
These are questions we have asked ourselves, especially when he arrived at the ring in the second fight of the trilogy. Wilder sported an extremely heavy suit, which he claimed he underestimated how heavy it was.
Wilder told the media that wearing the suit affected his legs in the later rounds of the fight, but a fighter determined to win the title wouldn’t jeopardize himself in the first place.
Deontay Wilder promises another “special” entrance for #FuryWilder3. pic.twitter.com/IUrG1KZpBG
ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 30, 2021
His lack of professionalism in the February 2020 fight hasn’t been understated, so what are we going to see on Sunday? Will Wilder come out all guns blazing? Or will be focused more on his appearance and putting on a show for fans instead of getting the win?
Wilder possesses one of the more deadly right hooks since Tyson, but he’s not the most technically sound boxer. He has been wild in the past, and when he knocked down Fury in the first fight, it was disheartening for the American to see him pop right back up.
“After the first Wilder fight in the last round when he knocked me down, I got back up and got into it, and he didn’t like it,” Fury said. From that moment on, I knew how to beat Deontay Wilder.
“I knew I had to go forward on him and unload big punches. Looking back at it years later, it was the best thing that could have happened because I got to do it all again.”
Betting online markets have Wilder at +230, which is a surprisingly generous line. He was convincingly beaten last year, but we expected the markets to have this fight close to a pick ’em.
Given the concerns around Fury’s fitness, we expect money to come for Wilder. The fight is held in the United States so he has home crowd support, and he has always been a public betting boxer.
