From the training camp videos made available to the public, it’s evident that Deontay Wilder is hard at work in making all the necessary adjustments ahead of his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury.
None of it seems to be of much concern to Wilder’s lone conqueror in the pro ranks, who had advice for his longtime rival ahead of their third heavyweight championship clash.
“I think he can try to land more punches on my face,” Fury quipped during a recent Zoom media conference call to discuss the fight, which tops an ESPN+/Fox Sports Pay-Per-View event October 9 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “That will help his chances of winning.
“It’s usually a good idea if you try it. Hit the opponent in the face as much as possible.”
The simple suggestion from Fury (30-0-1, 21KOs) obviously comes tongue-in-cheek, although the 6’9” Brit prefers to not overthink any aspect of his game. It has clearly worked, as the 33-year-old from Manchester, England remains undefeated through 13 years (on and off) as a pro, including two lineal heavyweight championship reigns.
Fury reclaimed World championship status—along with winning the WBC title—following a seventh-round knockout of Alabama’s Wilder (42-1-1, 41KOs) in their rematch last February at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight came nearly fifteen months after the two fought to a split decision draw in their memorable December 2018 clash at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Fury previously defeated long-reigning lineal/WBA/IBF/WBO champ Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, though his initial stay atop the division came without a single title defense.
The lengthy delay in getting to the third fight—complete with several postponements—has allowed Wilder to fine tune everything he has learned under new head trainer and former adversary Malik Scott. The former WBC heavyweight titlist has also added veteran cornerman Don House to the team in recent weeks.
Fury remains with the team that propelled him to victory in the rematch with Wilder, working for the second time with SugarHill Steward and former WBO middleweight titlist Andy Lee. For all of the physical work being put into this camp, the one thing for which there is never any room for the reigning champ is overthinking any aspect of the game plan he brings into the ring every time.
“There’s no secret, there’s no rocket science to boxing,” theorizes Fury. “A lot of these fighters try to make it technical and downloading data bullsh!t—I never heard such bollock in my life. It’s two men fighting, punching each other in the face and body for twelve rounds or less.
“It’s no rocket science to it. You got to train right, get to bed early. Drink plenty of water and get stuck in best way you can.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox