Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder hit the stage in London, for the first round of their three city press tour to hype their Dec. 1 heavyweight clash.
No surprise, both hitters showed their personalities, and it was Fury who stood out a bit more, with his verbal spewings. He asked the emcee to correct himself, and better note that Fury fancies himself the lineal champion and he doesn’t consider himself a “challenger” to anything. “I’m in a no room for no messing, and runnign around rings,” he said. “I will stand I will prove what I’m going to do this idiot.”
The event heated up when Fury got up, asked to “feel the power,” and Wilder and he faced off. Then the American shoved Fury back, and Fury “that was nothing.”
“I wanna feel it,” he kept at it. “Let’s have a tickle…let’s have a spar, let’s give the fans a warmup,” the Traveller said.
“Save it all for the first,” his promoter Frank Warren said, and then promoter Lou Dibella shared the on sale date. “Put one right there ya big shithouse,” Fury said, when they came back in each others’ face. Security was in between the pair.
“He’s got no strength, it was like a child pushing me,” said Fury, when each man had sat back down and order was restored.
Yes, he’s been promising a tear up, not his brand of smart boxing which prizes defense over offense so much of the time.
Wilder said he believes that he is the baddest man on the planet and “I’m all about devastating knockouts.”
“He know he’s gonna get knocked out,” Wilder declared. He recommended Fury meditate some to help cope with the impending inevitability. The WBC boss said he hears that some folks don’t think Fury is ready for this, that he still needs to drop weight. Fury interjected and called Fury a “dosser” a few time. He was chided for using rude language as the two titans went back and forth.
“You’re not ready, are ya, dosser?” Fury barked and Wilder then said if he kept it up, Fury would earn an early knuckle sandwich.
Dibella said that it’s been a long time since two top tier hitters in the heavyweight division came together and had a box off. “When two great champions want to fight, the fight happens,” he said, casting shade on Anthony Joshua. “The winner of this fight on December first will be the best in the game,” he stated.
Finkel said Fury surprised him when he beat Wladimir Klitschko, who Finkel also handled. Won’t happen again, the NY deal maker asserted.
“I want you where mentally you feel you can beat me,” said Wilder, when Fury stated that he thinks the American only took the bout because he thought Fury was rust-covered.
“All front and no substance,” Fury said, calling Wilder a “hollow shell.”
Finkel then took a shot at AJ, and commended Fury for taking the slot that Joshua wouldn’t.
Fury’s promoter Warren had his say. He reiterated that this is the best fighting the best. He promised “a fight that nobody expects…a war.”
Wilder said he is seeking the “most devastating KO” ever, and then Fury derided Luis Ortiz as being “49 years old,” denigrating that Wilder win.
BT Sports housed the presser, at the BT Sports Box Office facility. This group puts out PPV bouts; they had the Canelo v Gennady Golovkin tango Sept. 15, and will offer Wilders’ title defense Dec. 1.
Stephen Espinoza of Showtime spoke on why this scrap will resonate. “These are the two largest men in the heavyweight division,” both physically and personality-wise, the cable exec said.
Wilder is also advised by Al Haymon, who was not that we know present.
My three cents: I’d expect the pressers to be showing more drama than much of the bout. Fury is the best defender Wilder has fought, Wilder has more power than anyone Fury has faced. Can he detonate it? That will be the central question for all 12 rounds. Or will we see an early ending? Fury doesn’t have the power to do that, so only Wilder can win that way. How do YOU see it going down?
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