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For someone who prides himself on being unpredictable, Tyson Fury is convinced he has already figured out his upcoming opponent.
Of course, it helps that he’s already had a clean look at Deontay Wilder, who he faces this weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (Saturday, Pay-Per-View, 9:00pm ET). Their heavyweight title fight rematch takes place nearly 15 months after their first fight, which ended in a 12-round draw.
Wilder (42-0-1, 41KOs) has since added a pair of highlight reel knockouts to extend his five-year title reign, although his repeat opponent doesn’t believe the Alabama native has added anything new to his repertoire.
“Yeah. I think we're seeing the best of Deontay Wilder,” England’s Fury (29-0-1, 20KOs) insisted during a recent media conference call to discuss their title fight. “He's 34 years old. I don’t think you get better after 34, do you? I think you hit a point in your career and that's called the prime-year career, the pinnacle, and then after that pinnacle you slide down and that's what happens.”
It remains to be seen what different wrinkle Fury can bring this time around. The 30-year old top-rated heavyweight was just six months into his comeback when he first faced Wilder, having weighed as heavy as 400-pounds during his 30-month self-inflicted ring hiatus.
Fury is 4-0-1, (2KOs) overall since returning to the ring in June 2018, though at no point measuring up to the career-best win he posted in dethroning then-World champion Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. Two of the wins came in bis 2019 campaign, beating a pair of previously unbeaten heavweights in Germany’s Tom Schwarz and Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
Neither were as impressive or as memorable as Wilder’s one-hit quits of Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz. Both were an extension of what he started in his first fight with Fury, twice flooring the Brit including a dramatic 12th round knockdown which helped produce a disputed split decision draw.
Fury has since made changes in his training camp, recently parting ways with Ben Davison in favor of SugarHill Steward (nee Javon ‘Sugar’ Hill) and cousin and former middleweight titlist Andy Lee.
Meanwhile, Wilder continues with the team that brought him to the promise land, Jay Deas and former welterweight champ Mark Breland. It speaks to loyalty and consistency, though Fury also insists it will lead to complacency once the bell sounds for their championship fight.
“History tells our story, so Deontay Wilder is at the pinnacle of his career,” believes Fury. “The only place he can go now, he can either extend that pinnacle or he can slide down.
“So yeah, he's not going to get any better. He's at his best.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox