Deontay Wilder doesn’t know why Tyson Fury or anyone else would be surprised he wants to fight Fury a third time.
Fury told talkSport last week that he didn’t think Wilder would take the third fight he was contractually owed because their rematch was so one-sided. The unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion claims Wilder only agreed to box him again because Wilder will earn so much money to do it.
England’s Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Alabama’s Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) are tentatively scheduled to meet a third time October 3 at an undetermined venue. Wilder wasn’t bothered by what Fury said, according to what Wilder told co-hosts Kenneth Bouhairie and Mike Rosenthal during “The PBC Podcast.”
“Nah, I don’t have no reaction,” said Wilder, who quickly exercised his contractual right to a third fight. “No one should be surprised. I am who I am. I’m Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder, you know, and nothing’s gonna change about that. Why [would] I not want it? You know, like I said, at this moment in time, you know, we’re just sitting back. It’s gonna be a time and place where I’m ready to come out. It’s gonna be a time and place where I say what I need to say.
“You know, but looking at the fight, he know that wasn’t me, I know that wasn’t me and the people in boxing, everyone know that wasn’t the real Deontay Wilder. Something was wrong with him, and you know, we will show. Like I said, it’s a time and place for it all, and I’ll reveal a lot of things. You know, but I’m looking forward to [the third fight], actually. I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to give the people what they wanna see.”
Fury overwhelmed Wilder with pressure and physicality in their rematch February 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Wilder went down twice – from a right hand to his head in the third round and from a left hand to his body in the fifth round.
The 6-feet-9, 273-pound Fury landed various hard punches on an exhausted Wilder before the former champion’s assistant trainer, Mark Breland, threw in the towel during the seventh round. It was Wilder who floored Fury twice in their first fight, which resulted in a controversial, 12-round split draw in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Winning their rematch will afford Fury a 60-40 financial advantage for their third bout, but Wilder still should make more than $20 million for it.
“Yeah, I was surprised [Wilder took the third fight] because it was a one-sided fight,” Fury told talkSport. “He didn’t win a second of that second fight, but in this game it’s a short game and a short career, and there’s an old saying – ‘We’ve gotta may hay while the sun shines.’ And for Deontay Wilder, at the age of 34, how many big fights out there are left for him after a domination like he had? So, I understand where he’s coming from. I understand that he has probably a lot of bills to pay. I don’t know the man’s personal circumstances, but from what I’ve seen of these American fighters and sportsmen, they always live a rock star’s lifestyle, even though they’re not rock stars. They go through a lot of money quite quickly.
“Just look at Mike Tyson. He went through like a billion dollars or whatever he went through. So, I’m sure that the money side of it is the tempting thing. I don’t think it’s too tempting to go in there and get an absolute beating like he did before, but he would be tempted by the amount of money that he would receive because they go through it quite quickly. I think that’s the reason he’s taking the fight, for the money.”
–boxingscene.com
