Wilder-Fury Prediction #2

The DSH's Manish Pandya provides his analysis and prediction for the upcoming Heavyweight Championship fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury....

This battle of unbeaten (and exceptionally tall) fighters is one of the most tantalizing heavyweight fights on American soil in years. 

The 6-foot-7 Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) is deservedly the favorite going into Saturday night’s fight at Staples Center against the 6-foot-9 Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs). Furthermore, when tested for the first time against Luis Ortiz in his most recent fight, Wilder proved he can take a punch as well. There is already talk everywhere about a mega-fight against fellow undefeated Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua in a unification bout - assuming he wins this fight.

On the other hand, Fury, the man who ended Wladmir Klitschko's long reign atop the division in 2015, is a quandary. He has fought only twice (against lesser opposition) since his return to the ring after a 2 1/2 year layoff. Indeed perhaps the biggest question mark in this fight is about what kind of fighter Tyson Fury still is. Nonetheless, it would be foolish to completely dismiss Fury’s chances despite his inactivity over the past few years after dealing with his personal demons outside of the ring. 

Certainly it’s always conceivable that Wilder catches Fury early with a massive right hand and makes it a short night for himself – that is the privilege of having such power.  And if he doesn't catch his opponent early, one can't be blamed for assuming the "Bronze Bomber" will still eventually catch him at some point. Wilder has knocked out everyone he has ever faced (Bermane Stiverne is the only one to go the distance with him...and he was KO'd in the 1st round of the rematch) so adding a potentially diminished Fury to the hit-list is not hard to imagine.

But the guess here is that the slick and skillful big man Fury will not be caught so easily. His extreme height, discombobulating style, and bravado will work some magic in the early rounds and I suspect Wilder, after perhaps an initial flurry, will subsequently let some rounds slip away as he unwittingly finds himself waiting too often for his moment to land the big right hand. When he begins to get impatient and wild (or rather more wild than usual), it is possible that Fury may actual catch him with something and seriously slow him down.

Thus, despite recognizing the possibility of a quick knockout over a faded Fury by Wilder, the call here is that a rejuvenated Fury will actually use his guile and avoid getting hit with the huge right hand and take this fight by decision.  Alas, that means Tyson Fury might actually be singing with joy in his god-awful voice late Saturday night.

Manish Pandya

TheDailySportsHerald.com