By: Hans Themistode
Tim Bradley still thinks highly of Deontay Wilder. Regardless of the Alabama native suffering an embarrassing seventh-round defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury in February of 2020, Bradley believes the former WBC belt holder is still a great fighter.
Both Fury and Wilder will get the opportunity to lock horns once again in just a few more months. In preparation for their third showdown, Wilder has released several videos of himself and newfound trainer Malik Scott.
Wilder’s concussive right hand has always been the focal point of his attack. However, from what he has shown in his workout footage, Wilder has turned his attention to other parts of his game. While he still showed off the sort of power that can knock down a tall building, the former long-reigning champion was seen slipping punches, attacking the body and working on his overall boxing skills.
As former two-division world titlist Tim Bradley has tuned in to watch what Wilder has been working on, he reluctantly shakes his head. While he doesn’t find anything wrong with Wilder wanting to add new wrinkles to his game, he simply hopes he doesn’t attempt to change his fighting style too much.
“I’ve been watching the videos of him training,” said Bradley during an interview with FightHype.com. “I see him moving and thinking and I get it and understand it but if you’re trying to outbox Tyson Fury, that ain’t going to work. You been fighting one way your whole career and I get it, you’re trying to sharpen your tools, as you should. We’re talking about working on fundamentals, mechanics, working on technique, which is all good things but that ain’t going to work.”
For roughly 13 years now, it was the sheer power of Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) that received both praise and adulation, not his boxing abilities. Yet, with Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) finding a way to nullify his right hand in their previous meeting, Wilder failed to adjust and found himself on the wrong end of a one-sided beating.
With their trilogy officially set to take place, Wilder appears to be preparing himself for a 12 round boxing match as opposed to an all-out war. That being said, cramming in a few sessions on the heavy bag isn’t going to help Wilder in the long run in the opinion of Bradley. If he really wants to hand Fury the first loss of his career, Bradley believes there’s only one way to do it.
“Take it to him. Take it to Tyson Fury. Keep your technique, come behind your jab and bring it to him.”