Fury vs Wilder III : Everything you need to know about Saturday's big fight
By Ethan Singh
Tyson Fury is aiming to conclude his trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder by knocking him "spark out" when the heavyweights clash in Las Vegas tomorrow.
The Gypsy King will defend his WBC belt against the Bronze Bomber at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
Both men have not been in the ring since February last year when Fury comprehensively beat Wilder with a seventh round stoppage.
Fury has had Covid twice, which has resulted in the postponement of this third matchup. Their first clash ended in a controversial split decision draw back in December 2018.
Fury - who vowed to knock out his rival - wants to protect his unbeaten record at all costs, while Wilder is itching to get revenge on the only man to ever deal him a professional loss in the ring.
The Bronze Bomber said: “Get ready for war, this is going to be an amazing fight. I'm wearing my red outfit so I want blood."
Wilder has continued to make a number of extraordinary excuses since his defeat, further fanning the flames of the rivalry. The former heavyweight champion now has Malik Scott in his corner.
Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, has said that The Gypsy King has packed on the pounds since the last fight saying: “The bigger the better, the heavier the stronger.”
Friday’s weigh in takes place at 10pm (BST).
Ring walks for the main event are expected at around 4am on Sunday for UK fans.
The fight is available live on BT Sport Box Office or streaming via the BT Sport app. It costs £24.95 on pay-per-view.
What they say
Despite being outboxed in the last fight, Wilder has been vocal about his chances. He said: "It's going to be a good one while it lasts. But I will win by devastating knockout. The fight will not go the distance.”
"There is no pressure on me. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Fury, not shy of confidence himself said: "He doesn't matter to me, this is the Tyson Fury road show and it's been continuing for 13 years."
"I'm the last man standing, I'm the one who has had all the problems and I'm still here and still undefeated."
Analysis
Fury is clearly the superior boxer and will most likely retain the aggressive game plan that worked so well in their second clash when he floored Wilder twice.
He surprised Wilder when he went for the jugular and attacked the American, whose own game plan was thrown out of the window.
The Gypsy King will continue using his unorthodox, jerky style in defence to unsettle Wilder's rhythm before countering sharply. He used his jab well in both outings so expect him to make the most out of his reach advantage.
With Fury adding on the mass for this fight and brazenly looking for a knockout we should expect an offensive display from the champion.
It will be interesting to see how Wilder approaches this fight tactically. His greatest asset is his devastating one punch power which Fury successfully limited in their second clash.
Wilder cannot hope to outbox Fury for twelve rounds so he needs to be smarter when it counts, dealing more damage through combinations before looking for that knockout blow.
He will surely have been training hard to produce a tighter defensive performance in preparation for Fury taking an aggressive approach.
If the Bronze Bomber can successfully set up more accurate power punches he will stand a far better chance in this fight.
Wilder may not be the best ‘boxer’ in the division but is arguably the most dangerous. With his power, you can never rule him out.
Prediction: Fury to win
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