Deontay Wilder doesn’t buy Tyson Fury’s confidence as their rematch approaches.
Wilder feels Fury fended off their second fight as long as he could because the lineal heavyweight champion honestly wants no part of his incredible power again. The hard-hitting Wilder floored Fury twice in their first fight, once apiece in the ninth and 12th rounds, but a resilient Fury finished their fight on his feet and fought the unbeaten WBC champion to a widely disputed split draw.
“Deep down in his heart, I really feel that he’s nervous,” Wilder said during a conference call Tuesday. “I really feel that he’s very, very nervous from the first time, what happened. When you knock a person out and give him a concussion, you never forget that. You never forget who did it to you and how they did it. And when you go back in the ring with him a second time, to relive that moment all over again, it has to be stressful. It has to be. You definitely can’t sleep at night and I understand why he’s not bringing cameras and he’s changing up a lot of things through his team.”
England’s Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) has surprised Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) by changing trainers, from Ben Davison to Javan Steward. Wilder also finds it curious that Fury has suggested that he’ll compete in their rematch at about 15 pounds heavier than Fury weighed for their December 2018 bout at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“You know, I thought the saying was if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it,” Wilder said. “I think he’s reorganizing that word. If anybody should be changing up anything, you would think it would be me, since he says he beat me by such a wide margin. But that’s not even the case. He knows what the truth was, and I’m looking forward to it.
“So, I hope he’s a man of his word, because I’m every bit a man of my word. And February 22nd should be exciting for all of us. You know, the fans is in for a treat. They’re the ones getting their money’s worth when it comes to this fight right here. They already know what me and Tyson’s all about. We come in and we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we fight to the end. And that’s what we’re gonna do come February 22nd.”
The 31-year-old Fury is listed as a slight favorite to beat the 34-year-old Wilder in their ESPN/FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event February 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.