By: Sean Crose
And in a week, it will all be over.
Deontay Wilder, former WBC heavyweight champion of the world, will have proven his previous battle, a 2020 shellacking at the gloved fists of one Tyson Fury, was a one-off…or he won’t have. It’s really that simple.
Indeed, it will be hard for Wilder to blame poor trainers, costumes, loaded gloves, tainted water, UFOs or anything else should Fury once again dominate him in gloved combat when they meet this coming Saturday night in Vegas. Should Wilder show he has some new tricks up his sleeve this weekend, however, or that he’s able to land that aluminum bat of a right he has on Fury with desired effect, then Wilder’s once again atop the division’s Mount Olympus.
The truth is, Wilder doesn’t even have to earn a win or a draw against Fury. A terrific performance this coming Saturday from the Alabama native will shut up a lot of naysayers. Fury, after all, has revealed himself over the years to be a considerable talent. All Wilder truly has to do is look good next weekend in order to be in the running for a fight with Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, or even – yes – Fury once again.
When looked at objectively, the heavyweight division isn’t in a bad place at all right now. It may not be the 90s or the 70s, but lets remember the following names all took losses during their respective eras: Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis, and Bowe. A loss or two on Wlider’s – or any other top heavyweight’s – resume probably won’t matter a whole lot to fans. In others words, the only thing that can harm Wilder this weekend is once again being blown out by Fury.
That – however – might actually happen. Fury was so dominant under the tutelage of Sugar Hill Stewart in his rematch against Wilder that people have wondered what, if anything, Wilder can do to win at this point. He can try fighting inside, of course, which seems to be the smartest move. If Fury is able to smother him, however – or fight well on the inside himself – it may prove to be a long (Or is it short?) night indeed for the man known as The Bronze Bomber. The world will just have to wait and see.
It’s worth noting that Fury has argued – rightly perhaps – that Wilder has never accepted his loss to the towering Englishman and therefore can’t move forward. That may be true, but if Wilder manages to have his head in the right place come Saturday, things could turn interesting.