By Carlos Boogs
WBA/IBO/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18KOs) is very motivated to unify his titles with WBC king Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35KOs).
Fury has a big task ahead when he faces former champion Wladimir Klitschko in a highly anticipated rematch on July 9th from the Manchester Arena. In a major upset, Fury outboxed Klitschko last November in Germany to capture the unified crown.
Wilder was scheduled to face mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin on May 21. That fight fell apart when Povetkin tested positive for a banned substance, which forced the World Boxing Council to postpone the fight. Wilder was given permission to make a voluntary defense, likely to take place in July.
In a recent interview, Wilder's promoter as of late - Lou DiBella - called Fury the "golden goose" of the heavyweight division. If Fury wins his upcoming rematch, DiBella says a unification with Wilder would be the biggest fight in the entire division.
"I like being the golden goose. It's a not a bad thing to be. I am the golden goose of the heavyweight division. I'm the lineal heavyweight champion. They all want to be what I am, so bring them on is all I say. We just have to get Wlad out the way and then it will be a unification. I'm up for that. I'm down. Deontay Wilder, if you're out there [watching this], bring it on chump," Fury told BoxingScene.com's Declan Taylor.
Fury has a lot of respect for Wilder. The self-proclaimed 'Gypsy King' is usually dishing out a verbal beating on his heavyweight rivals, but he views Wilder as a fighter worthy of respect.
"I like Deontay Wilder. He's like myself. We're from the same cloth. He's a fighting man. He comes for a fight. He's got a big knockout punch. He's got a big heart. He's a young man like myself and he's tall. He's the American hype. I'm the British hype. It's like - let's get it on," Fury said.
