In December 2018, the Boxing world focused its
collective attention on the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA for one of the
most anticipated World Heavyweight championship fights in recent memory. An
encounter between two undefeated Heavyweights, who each held a claim to the
World Heavyweight championship. The bout between WBC world champion Deontay Wilder
and undefeated former Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.
Naturally, when discussing two undefeated Heavyweights,
opinion is going to vary on a variety of factors. In this case, Tyson Fury the
one time holder of the unified IBF/WBA/IBO/WBO crown had relinquished his crown
shortly after defeating longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 having
never defended the championship. Fury’s decision prompted by several personal
problems opened up opportunity in the division to determine who was the top
fighter in the division. One fighter who won the WBC world championship in the
same year as Fury won his crown would go on to establish his argument as the
top man among the Heavyweights both among world champions and would be
challengers.
After successfully defending his version of the World
Heavyweight championship seven times and scoring knockouts in all seven of
those defenses, Deontay Wilder had established himself not only as the longest-reigning
active champion in the division, but also one of the most active fighters. This set the
stage for Wilder to face a recently returned Fury, who some regarded as the
lineal champion due to his having never been defeated for his crown.
While yours truly usually tends to stay out of those kind
of debates in the interest of wanting to cover the sport objectively, it
nevertheless created a healthy debate as to what would happen when the two men
squared off for Wilder’s crown. As some readers may recall this observer’s coverage
of that fight, this was a fight between a boxer/puncher in Fury against a
fighter primarily known for his punching power and ability to score quick and
often brutal knockouts in Wilder. Stylistically, this fight also had an element
of a natural aggressor in Wilder against Fury who has been known as a fighter
with an awkward, elusive style that often frustrates his opposition.
As I stated in my coverage of that fight, the challenge is
to distinguish which fighter is more effective in a bout that was fought in the
way this fight was. Fury’s awkwardness proved to be effective in making him an
elusive target that Wilder had trouble finding consistently throughout the
fight. This did not mean necessarily that Fury was able to stand out clearly in
terms of overall activity in punches landed, but it created a scenario where
though both fighters had periods of effectiveness, the story for some became
what Wilder was unable to do offensively. When fights are fought in this way it
can as I have often said over the years leave plenty open to interpretation as
to who got the upper hand and this unfortunately creates a further conundrum
for those who are tasked with the responsibility of scoring the fight.
In this observer’s eyes, despite my view being that Fury was
overall the more effective of the two fighters based largely on how well he was
able to execute a defensive approach and evade Wilder, there were several
rounds throughout the course of the fight that could have been scored in
Wilder’s favor based on overall activity and forcing the action. It was based
on this that I ultimately arrived with a scorecard of eight rounds to four or
116-112 in points in Fury’s favor at the end of the twelve round world
championship bout. It was in rounds nine and twelve however, that ultimately
proved to be crucial in the official scoring of this fight. What I am referring
to the knockdowns that Wilder was able to score of Fury.
The first of the knockdowns in round nine I felt helped
Wilder narrow the gap on the scorecards, but I also felt it would not be enough on
its own for him to retain his championship. The second knockdown in round
twelve nearly put all aspects of the potential scoring to rest as a combination
to the head of Fury concluded by a brutal left hook knocked Fury down and
appeared to be out. To this day, I do not know how Fury managed to beat the
count. Although Fury deserves all the credit for doing something that frankly
should be viewed as “Miraculous”, there was a brief controversy that emerged
following the knockdown as Referee Jack Reiss was criticized by many fans after
the fight for taking several seconds after Fury had beat the count to evaluate
his condition before allowing him to continue.
Readers will recall that I do not feel that the count of
Reiss was long or that the time that he took to evaluate Fury somehow “Robbed” Wilder
of a potential knockout win as some had alleged. I will repeat however, that Reiss,
who is one of the best referees in the entire sport made a judgment call and
perhaps a referee with lesser experience would not allow the fight to continue.
Despite my scorecard at the end of the fight, it is
important to take these two knockdowns into the equation. Under the ten point
must system that Professional Boxing is scored, the winner of a round where
there are no knockdowns is usually scored 10-9. In an instance where there is
one knockdown that does not end the fight, the round is scored 10-8, which is
the equivalent of two rounds scored 10-9. When one factors into the equation
that this fight featured two 10-8 rounds scored in favor of Wilder, that is
equal to four rounds being scored 10-9. If one also factors into the equation
that several of the rounds in this fight outside of rounds nine and twelve were based largely on interpretation as to who got the upper hand under
circumstances that neither fighter was able to stand out as superior from the
other, it is not hard to understand how there could be debates as to who won
the fight.
The final verdict of a split decision draw taking all
factors into the equation was also not hard to understand. It was clear in my
eyes however, that the two knockdowns Wilder was able to score allowed him to
retain his world championship in terms of narrowing the official scorecards
where one judge had it even, while the two remaining judges were split in their
scoring. Nevertheless, the result warranted a rematch.
After both fighters have been successful in two bouts
each in maintaining their undefeated records and respective claims to the
Heavyweight crown, the rematch will come on Saturday, February 22nd at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The question going into this
fight, which will headline a jointly produced pay-per-view card by Fox Sports
and ESPN in the United States, is what will be different the second time
around?
In thinking of what potential adjustments that could be
made, I feel it is crucial that Wilder shorten up his punches. In the first
fight, there several instances throughout where he overthrew punches and this
can be attributed to both Fury’s elusiveness and Wilder at times being overly
aggressive. Although he was able to eventually land on Fury and score those
crucial knockdowns that ultimately allowed him to retain his title with a draw,
he must not assume that he will be able to do the same in the rematch.
Some may recall following his last title defense against
Luis Ortiz in November of last year where in an interview with the Fox Sports
broadcast team he eluded to not needing to win rounds due to having the
punching power needed to an a fight at any time. Readers may recall in my
coverage of that fight, I pointed out that a mentality of not needing to score
points in order to win fights is a dangerous one to have. It is even more
dangerous when facing a fighter of Tyson Fury’s skill set.
For Tyson Fury, one may argue that what he has suggested in
interviews leading up to this fight in eluding that he will be more willing to
engage with Wilder with the intention of possibly going for a knockout in this
rematch could be the wrong strategy. Fury must remember what brought him to the
top of the division once before by being tactical, elusive, and using his
height and reach to his advantage. He must also keep in mind that Wilder has
shown that he can knock him down and it will be interesting to see it he does
attempt to implement a tactical strategy similar to what he was able to do in
the first encounter if he can make adjustments to avoid getting caught by
Wilder, particularly if this fight goes into the middle and late rounds.
Although Tyson Fury’s style may not always be crowd
pleasing, he needs to do what is necessary for him to be successful in this
fight even if that means potentially turning fans off by Boxing in a way that
may not be the most entertaining to watch. If Fury attempts a completely
different approach this time around with the intention of going toe to toe with
Wilder, it could be a big mistake given Wilder’s punching power and his ability
to score quick knockouts. The most interesting subplot of this rematch however,
is that Tyson Fury chose to split with his trainer Ben Davison shortly before
this fight and has enlisted the services of Javan Hill, better known within the
sport as Sugar Hill, the nephew of the late legendary Hall of Fame trainer
Emanuel Steward. While it is not uncommon to see a fighter bring in a new
trainer prior to a rematch, the obvious question will be what new tactics, if
any will Sugar Hill try to implement into Tyson Fury’s offense. It is also
logical to ask the question of whether the two have had enough time together to
make significant changes ahead of this fight.
Opinions as to who will win the rematch between
Wilder and Fury obviously vary, but an illustration of that can be seen in the
current odds according to MyTopSportsbooks as seen
below.
Tyson
Fury to win on points / decision odds and percentages
The
most-likely outcome in the rematch, according to most online sports betting
sites reviewed here, is
Fury outpointing Wilder on the cards at +138 (41.7% chance). That would have
been the outcome of the first fight if Wilder had not put Fury on the mat late,
salvaging a draw.
Tyson
Fury to win by 2nd round KO odds and percentages
While
Fury has predicted a second-round stoppage, the odds of him scoring a finish
period are a long +450 (18.2% chance). The odds of it coming in round two,
specifically, are +5000 (2%). As much as Fury controlled the early portions of
the first fight, Wilder was never in real trouble.
Deontay
Wilder to win on points / decision odds and percentages
Oddsmakers
believe Wilder will need a knockout/stoppage to score a win. The odds of him
being victorious on the cards are an incredible +1000 (9.1%), which is only
about 5% higher than the fight ending in another draw. The reason why is
two-fold: (1) Fury's jab is likely to rack up points and (2) Wilder has only
earned one of his 42 career wins by decision.
While
it is important to keep in mind that betting odds offer an educated guess as to
what may or may not happen in a fight, in this case the odds do point to the
conventional wisdom of many Boxing experts as to what is the best tactic for
each fighter to win. Although Deontay Wilder has not scored a decision win
since winning his world championship in January 2015 in his first fight against
Bermane Stiverne, he has shown that he is capable of going into the middle and
late rounds. There are many in the sport including this observer however, that
believe that the odds of Wilder winning a decision in this fight is slim based
largely on the style of Tyson Fury and Wilder’s own admission that he feels
that he does not need to score points in order to win fights.
There
is nevertheless a lot at stake for both fighters. Not only is Deontay Wilder’s
WBC Heavyweight world championship on the line, but for the winner of this
fight there is the obvious lucrative payday that looms with current unified
IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO world champion Anthony Joshua in a fight that would fully unify
the Heavyweight division. With anticipation at a high and with a lot to lose
for both fighters, it is not hard to understand why this is a highly
anticipated rematch. If that anticipation leads to an exciting battle between
two of the top fighters the Heavyweight division has to offer, the division as
well as the entire sport will be the benefactor no matter the outcome. We will
see what happens when Wilder and Fury meet to settle their unfinished business
in Las Vegas on Saturday, February 22nd.
“And
That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Wilder
vs. Fury II takes place on Saturday, February 22nd at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas NV. The fight as well as a three bout undercard can
be seen on a pay-per-view basis in the United States on Fox Sports/ESPN+
Pay-Per-View across cable/satellite providers for $79.99 as well as the Fox
Sports and ESPN streaming apps. For more information on how to order through Fox Sports
please visit:https://www.foxsports.com/boxing/pbc/pay-per-view-wilder-vs-fury-143.
To order via ESPN+ PPV order through the ESPN+ section on the ESPN app or
visit: https://plus.espn.com/wilder-fury-2
for more information. Both apps are carried on major streaming platforms such
as Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, mobile devices and tablets. Check your
local listings internationally.
The
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