One of only two men to share the ring with Tyson Fury on three occasions, Deontay Wilder knows ‘The Gypsy King’ better than most. The pair battled in a trilogy of absorbing encounters between 2018 and 2021. The first fight was a controversial draw, before the Brit confirmed his dominance in bouts two and three with knockout wins.
Fury’s three fights with Wilder were some of the most entertaining in heavyweight boxing history and were significantly more entertaining than his one-sided trilogy with Derek Chisora, which saw the Morecambe man win every bout. However, in his last outing back in May, Tyson lost for the first time in his career after dropping a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk on the judges’ scorecards.
The 36-year-old will get his chance at redemption when he faces Usyk in a rematch on the 21st of December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For one of the only times in his professional career, Fury will enter the contest as a clear underdog, needing to deal with the pressure of bouncing back from his first defeat.
Deontay Wilder Picks Definitive Winner for Usyk vs Fury 2
‘The Bronze Bomber’ is backing Usyk to come out on top again
Wilder knows all too well how tough that is to do. Before he faced Fury in their second fight in February 2020, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was unbeaten in 43 fights. Since being knocked out by Tyson in the seventh round of that clash, he has gone on to lose three of his next four bouts. Most recently, he was brutally knocked out by Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang in a fight that many predicted at the time would spell the end of his career.
While his time at the top of the heavyweight division looks to be over, Wilder is still in a unique position when it comes to providing an insight on how Fury might fare in his upcoming clash with Usyk. Asked by Boxing News to share his prediction for the fight, Wilder gave the edge to the reigning WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion as he reasoned:
“The rematch, who knows, it’s all about what person brings what dog to the fight. Many times, we have good days, and we have bad days, you just never know. If I had to pick, I would say Usyk, but let’s see what happens!”
If Fury can prove Wilder wrong and even the score with Usyk, then a trilogy fight would almost certainly be inevitable to determine who is the better man once and for all. As for Wilder’s own career, his trainer Malik Scott has confirmed that he doesn’t expect the 39-year-old to retire – and even went as far as to confirm a three-man wish-list for his return fight.
That currently doesn’t include Fury or Usyk. However, if the Tuscaloosa native does successfully make a return to the ring and put together a string of wins, expect him to do be calling for a chance to once again face the very best in the division.
