WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder didn't hesitate to relay his honest reaction upon learning that Tyson Fury will be fighting relatively unknown Otto Wallin on Sept. 14.
“Oh my goodness,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com. “I was just shaking my head. What in the world is he (Fury) doing? His last fight was just a joke and now this one.”
Wilder and Fury fought back in December 2018, and it resulted in a thrilling split decision draw. The two are expected to have a rematch sometime in early 2020, but before that Wilder will have to defeat Luis Ortiz this fall.
The WBC champ believes the lineal heavyweight champion shouldn't be facing the likes of Tom Schwarz and now Wallin.
“With Fury, he’s a joke overall,” Wilder said. “It don’t look good for boxing to do that. And then you go and fight lower opposition. Like, who is this other guy (Wallin)? Everybody’s putting their titles on the line against tough opposition, but he’s not a champion, so we can understand his behavior and the selection of opponents he’s chosen.”
Fury’s path leading up to the potential Wilder-Fury rematch has been relatively easy, and Wilder isn’t surprised. He says Fury’s camp would not want to jeopardize the pay-per-view rematch by facing an opponent that could knock off Fury.
“I gave Tyson Fury a concussion, so they’re making sure they get him to the prom,” Wilder said. “I’m his prom, so they’re gonna make sure he gets there as safe as possible, with his marbles when he gets there. Because he knows when he fights me again, it’s over.”
Wilder remains confident that he will walk away from the rematch still holding the heavyweight title and refers to their previous bout as an example.
“The man didn’t know how he got on that ground. When he woke up, he didn’t know he got up,” Wilder said. “I’ve gave many concussions, even in sparring, and I know how they talk and how they respond. I gave him a concussion. And the curse is he’s gotta go in there with me again. There’s many guys’ careers I ended. It’s gonna be just like finishing the job.”
Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) responded to the criticism by posting a kissy face selfie on Instagram with the caption saying, “this is a big kiss to @bronzebomber AKA THE BIG jealous DOSSER.”
Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs) has fought all of his bouts in Europe, with the exception of his last fight — an April clash against Nick Kisner that ended in a no-contest because of an inadvertent headbutt at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.