Weighty issues in Wilder-Fury title fight

7:03 am | November 29, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

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When asked what he’ll weigh-in for his fight against WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, Tyson Fury didn’t seem to really know — or care.

“Not sure what the weight is going to be, we’re going to find out on Friday, but it’s a good weight,” Fury assured the gathered media after the final press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

After his lengthy hiatus from the ring after defeating Wladimir Klitschko, for the recognized heavyweight championship in 2015, Fury in his return to the ring this past June, came in at a hefty 276 pounds as he stopped the rather non-threatening Sefer Seferi in four rounds. In August he weighed a less rotund 258 in going the ten-round distance against Francesco Pianeta. Against Klitschko a few years ago, he was 247 pounds.

As you see, the 30-year-old Fury now looks noticeably slimmer than in the recent past, when he was mired in various personal issues that put his career on hiatus.

When Ben Davison, who was brought in to prepare him for this contest (replacing Fury’s uncle, Peter), is asked about the expected poundage for his charge, he didn’t seem to be worried.

“We’ll have to wait and see, said Davison”

But we can assume he’ll be lighter than 258, right?

“We’ll have to wait and see. Again, I’m not going to give it away. It’s all part of the guessing game that everybody is interested in. So, Friday we’ll find out,” said Davison with a smile.

In his last fight in March against Luis Ortiz, Wilder, 33, was just 214.75 pounds. Wilder weighed between 220.75 and 229 pounds for his previous six title defenses. To put this into heavyweight bout perspective, when Muhammad Ali faced Sonny Liston for the first time in 1964, Ali weighed a shade over 210 pounds while Liston weighed 218.

“He got sick about eight days before the fight and even though he was well come fight time, his strength had not returned,” explained Jay Deas, Wilder’s head trainer. “He hadn’t been eating much during that time, so he came in at 214, which was lighter than we wanted. But there’s no excuses, we were good.”

Deas says because of drug testing that’s in place for many championship bouts, taking medications so close to the fight becomes a delicate issue. He estimates that Wilder was only at about “67-to-72 percent” in terms of his power. “I do think that if he was 100-percent that Ortiz would not have gotten up from the fifth round (knockdown).”

In what was a memorable heavyweight contest, Wilder had to overcome some shaky moments in the middle rounds to eventually stop the Ortiz in round 10.

When Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) hits the scales on Friday, Deas claims he has no idea what his man will come in at.

“I never know because we don’t weigh during camp,” said Deas. “It’s almost like a game, we just wait to see because he’s a heavyweight. So as long as he’s eating and working out, he kind of is where he is.”

Deas mentioned that in the past they have tried various dietary regimens to put on more weight on Wilder to no avail.

“His metabolism is so fast,” said the trainer, with a chuckle.

If both boxers come in at the identical weights they did in their previous bouts, Fury will have a 44-pound weight advantage and two inches in height on Wilder at 6’9. When there is the requisite skill involved, size absolutely matters.

“I don’t think Wilder will be coming in that low,” said Davison. “He said he was a little ill coming into the Ortiz fight. Me personally, Deontay being light is a big advantage to him as a heavyweight.”

In an era of power forward-sized heavyweights, Wilder is one that is leaner and has an abundance of athleticism and quick reflexes.

“A lot of people mistake his weight with strength,” explained Davison, who believes that size can be overrated. “I believe he’s strong as a bull. I’ve seen him push people off, Gerald Washington, he was an ex-American football player and from in-close Wilder moved him around like a baby. I think (Wilders is) very, very strong and him being lighter is a big asset to him.”

As for his own man, conventional wisdom says that Fury will need to have the ability to outmaneuver Wilder but yet still have the physical foundation to withstand the offensive onslaught of the defending champion.

“With Tyson we don’t want to bring him too low where he’s not got his strength but we don’t want him to be too heavy where it takes away a little bit of his mobility. So, it’s about striking the right balance and I’m very happy with where he’s at, “said Davison, tipping off perhaps that we will indeed see a lighter Fury this weekend.

While Wilder certainly has the advantage in punching power, it is Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) who has the higher boxing IQ.

“I wouldn’t underestimate Deontay Wilder’s boxing ability,” Davison said. “I don’t think he’s fantastic fundamentally — I know he’s not fantastic fundamentally — but his main assets are his physical assets. He’s very, very quick, he’s tall, got a long reach, he’s strong and obviously he can punch like a horse kicking.”

With 39 stoppages in 40 fights, Wilder is considered one of the most lethal punchers in all the sport.

“He’s dangerous right till the last final bell goes but I do believe that fighters like Deontay, they try to come out fast and when they do that, it’s a big game,” Davison continued. “Usually they’ll start to deteriorate around rounds 5 and 6 and I think from then on Tyson will be hitting him more than he’s ever been hit before.”

Davison is convinced that at a certain point Fury will start peppering a fatigued Wilder with an assortment of punches and that, “it’ll end up leading to a Tyson Fury stoppage late.”

The one thing that Wilder has — despite his technical flaws — is the eraser. At any point in the fight his prodigious power can bail him out. But while Davison is certainly aware of that, he believes you can’t let a chance to shut the door on Wilder pass, either, the way Ortiz did in their contest.

“It completely depends on how Deontay’s looking because if he’s out on his feet, you never know, he could recover and the next round he could come back and take your lights out,” said Davison. “So, you have to take it step-by-step, round-by-round. We’re prepared for everything, though.”

And while Fury would prefer a slower tactical pace, Wilder wouldn’t mind a fast-paced fire fight. And Deas believes the quicker you get to it against Fury, the better.

“The thing about it is, you’re going to have to get some positive things done early,” he explained. “You can’t find yourself like Klitschko in Round 9 or 10 saying, ‘We just need to land a big shot’, because Tyson Fury is not going to give you that.

“You’re going to have to make your own opportunities, you cannot wait on opportunities.”

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