Wilder vs Fury – Who to back and why
The most highly anticipated heavyweight fight of the year takes place this Sunday when WBC champion Deontay Wilder and the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury step into the ring at the Staples Center in LA.
Anticipation for the heavyweight blockbuster has been building since the fight was announced back in September, with the pair embarking on a seemingly endless promotional tour. With verbal insults aplenty and most notably a clash in London, which resulted in the pair having to be separated, this fight promises to live up to fight fans’ high expectations.
As well as fighting for Wilder’s WBC World title, both fighters will put their unbeaten records on the line adding fuel to an already blazing fire. And the biggest prize for the winner is a potential match up against Anthony Joshua and the chance to unify the heavyweight division.
Bronze Bomber Knockout
Deontay Wilder will be defending his heavyweight title for the eighth time come fight night and he heads into the ring as the favourite to retain his World title, with the ‘Bronze Bomber’ currently at odds of 4/7 to win the fight outright.
Wilder’s position as favourite will come as no surprise to boxing fans given his recent record of TKOs and KOs. The American currently boasts a 98% knockout percentage, with 39 of his 40 professional fights resulting in a knockout.
Those statistics may prove to be a tell-tale sign of what is to come, with some predicting Wilder will KO Fury in the latter stages of the fight, and punters who fancy Wilder to win by KO/TKO can get odds of 13/10.
Comeback King
On the other side of the ring, Tyson Fury seems like a man more determined than ever to unify boxing’s top weight division following his return to the sport.
The 30-year-old has had to overcome personal demons, battling depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as dropping an incredible 10-stone in order to get in shape for the fight next weekend.
Following two comeback fights earlier in the year against Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta, Fury now says he’s ready for the biggest challenge since returning to boxing.
While he may head into the fight as the underdog, with current odds of 13/10 to win the fight outright, Fury certainly has the experience to cause an upset.
During his 2015 clash with Wladimir Klitschko, Fury outclassed and out boxed his opponent to become the heavyweight champion of the world and many see the match up as a fight between a boxer and a colossal puncher in Wilder.
Provided Fury can avoid being caught with any big shots from Wilder and wear the American down, we fancy him as favourite to pick up the most points in each round. If the fight goes the distance you can get odds of 21/10 for Fury to win on points.
Credit: GentingBet