Tyson Fury has vowed to cause more humiliation for Deontay Wilder than he did to Wladimir Klitschko in his famous 2015 upset victory. The WBC heavyweight title is on the line in Los Angeles on December 1, with two undefeated fighters doing battle.
Fury enters fight week as the challenger and narrow underdog, even though he is the lineal champion following that Klitschko win.
WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF champion Anthony Joshua has said he hopes Wilder triumphs to give fans the unification fight they “have been yearning for.”
But Fury has other ideas and is confident his style will make the American look silly on fight night.
Fury told the Sunday Telegraph: “I’m going to take Wilder’s heart away. It’s going to be a more humiliating performance than it was against Klitschko.
“Everyone says I won’t do it against a big puncher. But I did it against Klitschko and I will against Wilder. I’m going to have fun. Wilder is going to have the most awkward night of his life, believe me.
“Wilder’s style is very unusual, but he’s very conventional in some ways. A lot of people make out he’s very wild, but he’s calm and only throws big bombs when he knows his opponent is in trouble. But I’ve got something up my sleeve. Like Max
Schmeling saw something with Joe Louis [in 1936] and he didn’t tell anybody the plan.
“I see something with Wilder. And I’m not going to tell anybody until I reveal it on the night. There’s a chink in that armour.
“My movement and speed is enough to disarm anybody. My length is very underestimated. Wilder has never fought anybody bigger than him and he’s never had to punch up before. He’s never had to chase someone down who’s moving.
“With all power punchers, they’ve got to set their feet. He can’t land power punches on the move. He’s got to stand still and that’s something I don’t do.”
Fury may be confident, but he also acknowledged his opponent’s credentials.
He added: “Don’t get me wrong – he’s a tough fight for anybody. People think it’ll be this big war, but it will be a chess match, cagey early on.
“It is the biggest challenge of my career. If I make one mistake, it’s over. It could be over, because he’s probably the biggest puncher in history. Definitely one of them.
“I’m a heavyweight historian and I don’t believe anyone has had that record [39 out of 40 knockouts].
“Being the hungry challenger, not a champion, gets more out of me. When I’m expected to beat Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta or Joe Bloggs, I only do enough to win.
“But when you’ve got someone like Wilder, who is a real challenge, it’s different. I know I have to be on my mettle for every second, because he’s so dangerous.
“I believe I can do everything I need to do. But you can never tell if it’s going to be good enough on the night, until you’re in there. As soon as I’m in there for 10 seconds I’ll know what will happen, I’ll know if I’m going to win or lose.”
