WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and lineal champion Tyson Fury lock horns for the second time when they meet Saturday for Wilder vs. Fury 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw back in December 2018. The Brit outboxed the American for the majority of the contest, but the atomic bomb known as Wilder's right hand dropped Fury twice, in the ninth and 12th round, to garner the draw.
A win by Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) would mark the 11th consecutive defense of his WBC belt. A win by Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) makes his comeback full circle after dealing with mental health issues.
Many boxing pundits and fans are split on who exits Vegas with the heavyweight hardware. We spoke with some of the experts to discuss who comes out on top in the fight.
Mario Lopez, actor and co-host of The 3 Knockdown Rule: I’m going to go with Fury. I think the first fight he was coming off a long layoff and had only two bouts under his belt, and he had to lose a lot of weight. He’s going to be very well prepared. He’s obviously very aware of that right hand and the damage it can do. I’m a little concerned about the trainer change at the last minute. But at the same time, Wilder goes out there and catches him in the first couple of rounds, and I wouldn’t be surprised either (laughs). It’s a 50-50 fight.
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Tim Bradley, ESPN analyst and former welterweight champion: I got Deontay Wilder by knockout. I think he’s going to knock out Tyson Fury before the 10th round. The reason I have him winning is that in the first fight, he didn’t have his right hand. He didn’t use it for about four and half weeks. The fact that Tyson Fury boxes as well as he did the first time around and still got caught with two right hands, he went down but he got up. I think that Deontay Wilder has found his mark. This isn’t Round 1, it’s Round 13 and Deontay Wilder can start where he left off at (and) bring that intensity and come in there and fight with two hands instead of one. I think he’ll eventually catch Tyson Fury again with the right hand or left hook, and I think he’s going to put him down. And this time I don’t see him getting up.
Prediction: Deontay Wilder by knockout
Shawn Porter, Fox Sports analyst and former welterweight champion: Deontay Wilder winning by knockout. However, if it goes to a decision, I have Tyson Fury winning a decision. I’m not going to pick one fighter.
Prediction: Pick 'em
Andreas Hale, DAZN News/Sporting News: When the first fight was ruled a draw, I figured that Tyson Fury had seen everything he needed to know and would make a rematch with Deontay Wilder easier. However, with both fighters having two fights under their belt since then, it dawned on me that Wilder is still learning new things. Specifically, how to be patient. Against Luis Ortiz, Wilder opted to prod and poke until the opening he needed presented itself. This was a huge departure from Wilder vs. Fury, where "The Bronze Bomber" headhunted and sought the knockout early and often. There’s a path to victory for Fury where he smothers Wilder and uses his weight advantage to lean on the WBC champion in hopes of wearing him down. Unfortunately, all fights start at a distance and Wilder will eventually find his opening that puts Fury down and out. Fury woke up last time. If that huge bomb connects, he’ll be lucky to wake up before the 10 count. Patience and movement will be key for Wilder, but I think Jay Deas has done enough to add the proper wrinkles to his game to finish his opponent off.
Prediction: Deontay Wilder by TKO
Dan Rafael, ESPN.com:
Diego M. Morilla, The Ring en español:
Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com:
Prediction: Tyson Fury via decision
Kelsey McCarron, BleacherReport.com: Wilder is a supreme athlete with awesome and terrible power, but Fury's leveled up since the first fight and will be much better equipped in the rematch to box the whole 12 rounds. Besides, Fury still managed to outbox Wilder in the first fight anyway. Sure, Wilder scored the two knockdowns and maybe eked out a round or two beyond those at most, but Fury was clearly the better boxer that night. He won't showboat near as much in his fight. That lesson was learned. He's in great shape. He's younger. He brought in an expert training team. I think he's set himself up nicely to turn in the single best performance of his career on Saturday night.
Prediction: Tyson Fury by unanimous decision
Carlos Toro, Fightful.com: This is truly a fascinating fight to pick. It's not often that you get to have a fight where you can legitimately make a strong case for either boxer winning. Fury, who many believe to be the better boxer, should have won the first fight on the scorecards, according to many, but Wilder's power, especially in his right hand, is downright devastating. Any perceived lack of boxing fundamentals (and I believe Wilder is underrated in that regard) is hardly a problem for Wilder as his power more than makes up for it. However, it should be noted that Wilder doesn't have the greatest track record in the world winning rounds when he's not seriously hurting guys or knocking them out.
I think Wilder will drop Fury at least once in this rematch. It's almost impossible to not expect that from Wilder at this point. The question is: Can Fury get back up from being knocked down again? Do I think Wilder could knock Fury out? Absolutely. However, Fury's proven to be tough enough to withstand punishment in the ring and I think Fury, under the tutelage of new trainer SugarHill Steward, will have a smarter gameplan this time around and find a way to win rounds a little more convincingly than in the first fight. Fury's already proven that he can find ways to tag Wilder and go the distance against him, and we're not expecting a fundamentally different version of Wilder come February 22. It won't be an easy fight for either of them, but I think Fury is better prepared for the rematch compared to the first fight.
Prediction: Tyson Fury by decision