Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II Fight Preview and Prediction to Win
When: Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 11PM EST
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: PPV
Weight Class: Heavyweights
Titles: WBC Heavyweight Title
By Loot, Boxing Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Deontay Wilder, 42-0-1 (41 KOs), Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Vs.
Tyson Fury, 29-0-1 (20 KOs), Manchester, England
Betting Odds: Deontay Wilder (-110), Tyson Fury (-120)
Deontay Wilder defends his WBC belt against Tyson Fury on February 22 in Las Vegas in a rematch from a hotly-contested 2018 bout. Their December 2018 draw was one of the more memorable heavyweight title bouts in recent memory, when Deontay Wilder scored a late knockdown to earn a controversial draw. Now a little over a year later, both men look to make a more-definitive statement and what was a really good fight with a lot of drama could even improve.
Both men have fought twice since their late-2018 battle, each winning both fights. But it wasn't without incident. Wilder scored an easy wipeout win against overmatched Dominic Breazeale, before again laboring against Luis Ortiz, before dropping the hammer in the 7th round in November in his last outing. Fury's path here was easier as far as the opponents went, facing Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin in 2019. His stoppage over Schwarz was easy enough, but against Wallin, he was cut badly in their September bout, needing over 40 stitches to close a few gashes. But all told, maybe it's a wash, even if Wilder did more the more resume-building work.
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Three years Wilder's junior at 31, Fury overcame a hard road to get here. Still the linear heavyweight champ, he battled addiction and mental health issues to once again forge to the front of a tough heavyweight division. He is nimble for a man who is six-nine and his boxing skills are natural. He's an innate fighter, brought up in a tradition of fighting in his family and culture. He has never been beaten in the ring and a lot of people thought he won the first time.
Wilder is a freak, a tall heavyweight, but a light one who often comes in well below 220 pounds. The leverage he produces on his right hand is a wondrous thing and it could very well be the single-most dangerous weapon in the history of heavyweight boxing. And it's a bankable weapon, as no opponent has emerged unscathed yet. We're talking about a guy with ten defenses, so it's not a guy with a puncher's chance. That punch delivers every time. It did against Fury the first time and he's looking to do even better with it this time around. But let's face it, in between those big shots landing, Wilder's work is not the best. He loses rounds in bunches to more-skilled fighters—guys like Ortiz and Fury, but even to lesser likes. Wilder has a good jab and a damaging left hook, even landing hurtful shots to the body on occasion. But his second-to-second work in the ring isn't really impressive. So skillful guys can win round after round, but can they survive the incoming blasts? So far, no one fully has.
By the same token, any attempts to in any way characterize the draw verdict from the first fight as being fair are very misguided. Perhaps in some greater sense, Wilder scoring two knockdowns means we should run it back and get a more-conclusive outcome. But Fury boxed Wilder's socks off that night and two knockdowns doesn't put a big enough dent in all those rounds Fury won. Not even close. It's important for the purposes of breaking down this fight. Sure, Wilder's power played a role and there isn't much reason to suspect it won't in the rematch. In fact, there's reason to be hopeful that it just might play the decisive role. But as of right now, Wilder is facing a guy who outboxed him and should have gotten the decision.
Backing Fury seems a bit ominous in light of the first fight. They usually won't screw a guy twice in a row. And Fury has the ESPN machine behind him and with some more appearances in America, is more embedded now. Still, he had to walk a fine line with little margin for error the first time, walking through hell to somehow get to the final bell after Wilder dropped the boom. Can we count on these things happening again? In other words, Fury almost fought the perfect fight last time and his heroic rise in the 12th will never be forgotten, and he still didn't credit for it!
The battle lines are drawn. We have Fury's boxing skills against Wilder's power. But as we might bemoan the lack of Wilder's overall skills, landing power shots and being able to deliver those shots in a pinch is indeed a skill. Wilder, often times after being on the losing end of things for rounds on end, can deliver that power no matter how bad things seem to be going. He's not just some frontrunning power-bomber who decimates opponents. He often times overcomes a lot in a fight. For a fighter who isn't terribly big, he has been able to accept whatever punishment his opponents dish out on him. He is tough, resourceful, and while not the slickest guy in the ring, he's no dummy either. He knows where he stands in a fight and how to navigate his way to the winner's circle.
Fury backers should have ample fear. The power that surfaced the first time around could very well again and there are no guarantees Fury can get through it this time. But I also look for some other things to surface and that's Fury's boxing skill, recuperative power, and character. I realize he will have to get through a lot to do it, but I see Fury as being better and from a somewhat simple point of view, that's going to guide my pick in Wilder-Fury II.
Loot's Pick to Win the Fight: I'm betting on Tyson Fury at -120 betting odds. Bet this fight for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% sign-up bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets!
