The Truth About Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury
An unexpected high stakes heavyweight showdown which carries more questions than answers for both the key protagonists and the surrounding sport.
The Best Possible Alternative
Slowly but surely, love him or hate him, Deontay Wilder is beginning to reap the benefits that you’d expect an American heavyweight champion. The last 9 months have been a significant tipping point. The meme-generating highlight reel knockout of Bermane Stiverne, despite the obvious embarrassing mismatch that it was, attracted new eyes to his brand of reckless but ruthless slugging. And when he came from the brink of defeat to dispose of Luis Ortiz (the first top 5 contender hes faced in his 3 year title reign) in an epic tussle, it only served to attract even more attention. Ratings and attendances were growing and the big time finally loomed.
But when it came to negotiations for an undisputed title fight with unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, it was abundantly clear that merely being a “growing” name wasn’t going to cut it for Wilder. Opinions will continue to differ on who is to blame for the delay in said undisputed fight happening anytime soon, but the minimal leverage the WBC champion had compared to his British rival played as much a role in anything.
Joshua and especially his legion of disciples (including promoter, fanbase and broadcaster) were happy to eventually move on with their career trajectory in the absence of a Wilder fight. Knowing that their man could continue to fill Wembley Stadium fighting an assembly line of serviceable contenders whilst Wilder fought for comparatively far less money against a less inspiring talent pool even by heavyweight standards.
This is all true…
Unless Wilder could somehow find a worthy and respectable dance partner who represented a reasonable risk and reward option. Unless Wilder found someone he had plenty of history with. Unless Wilder could find a guy worthy of being a B-side for him to enter the pay-per-view market. Unless Wilder found an opponent equally as abrasive, accomplished and antagonising as he is, someone who could attract even more people to his product. Unless he found a man, who still claims on some level claims towards being the number one heavyweight in the world.
Unless Wilder found Tyson Fury.
Reckless Opportunism
Two and a half years removed from his crowning moment, becoming unified champion in Germany against the leading heavyweight of the recent era, Tyson Fury was settling in to a radically different reality of that which you’d expect of “the man who beat the man”.
The ending of a dreary 10 round exhibition versus the nondescript former Wladimir Klitschko victim Francensco Pianeta was recieved by boos from the onlooking crowd in Windsor Park (as is the expected reaction to most Tyson Fury fights where he is not troubled in the slightest). But this was soon met with a feeling of excitement and anticipation as an onlooking Deontay Wilder, who’d come to search and secure a worthy dance partner, made his way into the ring to announce with Fury that the two had agreed to fight each other this fall in America.
Many a thought sprung from this revelation. Fury has dropped over 120lbs in weight whilst plotting his return to the ring. This public sparring session with Pianeta, when juxtaposed with the freak show four round exhbition with Sefer Seferi which preceded it, was at the very least an indication that Fury knows his way around a boxing ring after his long lay off.
But what it isn’t is a sufficient indicator of him being successful against Wilder. Wilder, by all accounts, is an unorthodox, unpredictable proposition with punching power which is unmatched amongst the current crop of fighters in this or any weight division. Fury, his close circle, and his trainer all admit that perhaps another fight or two would leave the 30 year old better prepared for a task like this, so why the rush to jump at the first opportunity to climb the divisional ladder?
The answer, whether some may like to admit it or not, is largely deep-rooted in the reaction to the Pianeta fight. Fury’s comeback has been one predicated on a need for direction and a desire to be back on top of the heavyweight tree. But the necessary incremental steps towards that end goal, involving the Pianeta’s and the Seferi’s of the world, will see fan goodwill turn into indifference and ignominy as fans are continually confronted with the reality of Tyson Fury as a boxer (very much a diffuser with an ugly style) as opposed to the myth which has formed during his hiatus (the heavyweight Sugar Ray Leonard or whatever Fury tells us he is). Behind the bravado and the brazenness, Fury is one who lusts for adulation and attention — and the prospect of rapidly losing popularity and subsequent value is something that would’ve been contemplated and feared.
This, in many ways, is the perfect storm. The failed Joshua-WIlder negotiations have created a small opening for Fury to stay permanently in the spotlight and retain public interest for the forseeable future. And call it reckless or misguided, but those holding onto the post-Klitschko myth, in addition to Fury’s displayed tendency to fight up and down to the level of his opposition, will retain hope that this opportunity can result in Fury re-reaching the promised land.
“The Enemy of my Enemy is my friend”
Alongside Wilder’s need to increase his value and Fury’s need to remain focused and relevant, there is of course another key driving factor around this fight which must be touched on.
Anthony Joshua’s name will be uttered endlessly in the build up to this showdown by fans, media, and boxers. Fury will talk about how he is fighting Wilder in America to restore pride to British boxing as Joshua seems unwilling to do so. Wilder will echo said sentiments and praise Fury for stepping up where Joshua wouldn’t. They will both play down the credentials and the ability of Joshua, declaring their matchup as the one which will decide who the number one in the division is. All of which formulates a narrative which can be spread and bought into.
We all have our versions of the truth, but the prevailing narrative is what carries the most weight in the world of boxing. Both Fury and Wilder in recent times have watched on as those invested in Joshua have formulated their own narrative which seperates him further from his rivals. Whether this be the notion that he beat a better version of Wladimir Klitschko than Fury or whether it is that he was the one ducked by Deontay Wilder – small things which sway general opinion and make decisions more reasonable and fights more sellable.
So in this case, it doesn’t matter that, in spite of Wilder-Fury being the most significant heavyweight fight of this year, Joshua is still unmatched as the division’s biggest attraction with the best resume.It also doesn’t matter that he still represents both Wilder and Fury’s biggest individual money option for a prizefight. Both now have formed an outlet to make money in his absence and more pertinently both have found an outlet to form narratives which make many question Joshua’s credentials – something which could hasten future negotiations and discussions over fights between Joshua and the eventual winner. And, ultimately, that should be embraced by all fans and observers alike.