Wilder v Fury 3 Presser in the books
Well now that it is said and done, the one and only presser for Wilder v Fury 3 played out much like their second fight. WBC World Heavyweight champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO’s) was all offense and heavy hands while Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO’s) barely showed up. The two are officially slated to settle their high stakes rivalry on July 24 in Las Vegas. Normally the Bronze Bomber is full of words and colorful expressions. Yet, this was far from the case on this occasion.
When initially called to the podium, Wilder did take the mic and give a few brief words. After praising his lord and savior, boxing crew and his “strong legal team”, Wilder was remarkably short on wordplay.
“Look, enough said. Time to cut off his head and come July 24, there will be bloodshed! Get your tickets now, I’ll see you soon!”
And with that cryptic message of would-be violence, Wilder fell silent for the remainder of the program. He never even said that he wouldn’t talk. Instead he simply sat there with his headphones on ignoring the proceedings as he bobbed his head to the beat.
YOU ONE-PUNCH MAN NOW?!
Naturally, Fury was not about to pass up a chance to perform for the recording camera. Right from the start, he entered from backstage topless and shadow boxing across the platform. During his time on the mic, The Gypsy King said his god was superior to Wilder’s, that he would beat him even easier and that Wilder was mentally weak. At one point, he bragged about having previously busted Wilder’s eardrum in a fight and his trainer Malik Scott’s in sparring.
However, one of the most interesting things said came from neither fighter, but rather Tyson’s trainer, “Sugar” Hill Steward. When talking about their preparation for the fight, Hill was impressed by the Gypsy King’s improved punching power. Fury is much more acclaimed for his boxing ability and his eerily nimble feet for such a large man. The Gypsy King has never been a boxer accused of being a one-punch fighter. Well, he has not until now.
“The only one thing that I really have to say is over that time of training and working with Tyson Fury, he now has power to knock a man out with one punch. And that is something that he has now along with his other boxing skills and everything else that he knows, his boxing IQ, his one-punch knockout power.”
STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED
That is a bold and interesting claim. Again, Fury has never been known as an overtly powerful fighter, let alone a one-punch knockout artist. For as bad as he pummeled and steamrolled Wilder in their rematch, the Bomber ended that fight on his feet. Said to say, even in his best and most brutal display of boxing in his career, he still did not claim a clean “knockout.”
If Steward can prove his words to be true, he may have more clients lining up than ever before. It is not every day that you can take a career-long accumulation puncher and turn them into a one-punch knockout sensation. That there just might be worth the price of admission! Once all the verbal bravado settles down, it will be fun to watch how it plays out in the ring on July 24.
By: Bakari Simpson
