The fight is only a day away. Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury. The rematch.
This Saturday sees the rematch between Wilder and Fury take place. One of the most heavily anticipated fights in recent memory.
There is something special about a World Heavyweight title fight. Especially when two undefeated giants collide to see who really is, “the baddest man on the planet”.
What makes the fight even more exciting is the fact it is their second dance. Having already fought in December 2018, which saw the fight declared as a draw, the rematch has even more people talking and more eyeballs on the sport of boxing.
First time out, Wilder knocked Fury down twice. That moment in the twelfth round when Fury somehow rose to his feet despite being knocked out cold only seconds earlier, is one that will go down in history.
On the other hand, Fury won every round bar the knockdowns, so was rightly aggrieved at the decision being a draw. As was Wilder, who thought he had done enough to get his hand raised.
But is wasn’t to be for either man. Maybe this is why it is even bigger now. The size of this battle is mind boggling. Top Rank chief, Bob Arum, who is promoting the fight in Vegas, expects nearly two million pay-per-view buys. This would be over five times the amount of the first fight, again emphasising the sheer magnitude of this colossal clash.
The bookmakers can’t split the pair this time around, and they are very rarely wrong.
Since their fight back in 2018, both have had two fights. The ‘Bronze Bomber’ has arguably faced the better two opponents, with Luis Ortiz and Dominic Breazeale standing in his way. However, this is Deontay Wilder we are talking about. Possibly one of the hardest hitting punchers in boxing history. They only lasted a combined seven rounds with the WBC Heavyweight Champion.
Fury on the other hand fought two relative unknowns in Tom Schwartz and Otto Wallin. The ‘Gypsy King’ took care of the German Schwartz with ease, picking him apart for a round and a half before knocking him out in the second round.
His last fight though was far from a pushover. Fury sustained an almighty cut above his eye, which required a reported 40+ stitches. Despite winning the contest and comprehensively out boxing his opponent for twelve rounds, Fury still had the harder paper round of the two since their first fight.
Many people are saying Wilder by knockout, or Fury on points. That’s what makes the fight so intriguing. Fans are split on what they think will happen come Saturday night.
Only one thing we know for certain is that it will be a memorable fight and one for the boxing ages.
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
How to watch: BT Sport Box Office
Time: Approx 5am (GMT) on Sunday 23 February
Photo – Ellin Beltz – Creative Commons Licence
