Staples Center to host the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder title fight
Hallelujah! Mark your calendar. With the proposed/scheduled December 1, 2018 boxing show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles pitting the current WBC World Champion 6’7″ Deontay Wilder against the former WBA, IBF and WBO Champion 6’9″ Tyson Fury, you got to believe this has all the makings of a spectacular, a “Fight of the Year” in the making.
Breaking down the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder match-up
The “talk of the boxing world” fight has now been finalized between the 32-year-old WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and the 30-year-old former WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury. It will take place on December 1, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. According to the local bookie, the early betting lines have Wilder as a -160 favorite while Mr. Fury is a +130 underdog. At the -160 for Wilder, this is the lowest betting odds ever for the champ, except for opening as a +140 underdog in a project unification match with the Englishman Anthony Joshua. The previous low for Wilder was -189 which came in his last bout against Luis Ortiz. The 40-0 champion won that bout with a 10th-round TKO. Similarly, Fury has been a massive favorite in his last two fights since his return, including the time he was a -10,000 favorite against Francesco Pianeta. Fury has now moved his record to 27-0 with his decision victory over Pianeta to set the table for this Wilder versus Fury match-up.
(photo, top right) Deontay Wilder’s undeniable inspiration, his sweetheart daughter.
Deontay Wilder claimed the WBC belt in 2015 with his unanimous decision victory over Bermane Stiverne. That victory was his only win not by TKO. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native has now defended his WBC title seven times with each defense coming by TKO including that Chris Arreola eighth-round retirement. “The Bronze Bomber” who is tall and trim and stands six foot seven inches tall has an incredible 83-inch reach. They say this one of a kind orthodox boxer has almost a kickboxer sideways stance that gives his opponents tons of trouble and they don’t dare pressure him as one right hand and they will be staring up at the lights. Due to his long reach, he’s always going to have this long distance relationship with his opponents which gives him sufficient time to figure out his opponents’ approach before he sets out on his offensive strategy. Wilder’s last opponent, Luis Ortiz, did give him some trouble after pinning him against the ropes in Round 7. It appears the only way to defeat these 6’7″ and taller giants is to attack with a reckless abandonment as if you were a middle linebacker in the National Football League. Once you corner your opponent and get in close, as did Mike Tyson, you immediately begin to pound their midsection and throw uppercuts.
Here we see two of Tyson Fury’s most recent opponents, above against the former champion 6’6″ tall Wladimir Klitschko and below with the much shorter Sefer Seferi from Switzerland.
On November 28, 2015, a day that will live in infamy, Fury who employs this awkward, herky-jerky style of fighting with constant head and hand movement that puzzles opponents, shocked the Boxing world when he surprised, or should we say dumbfounded longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko to win his unanimous-decision victory and take home not one but three championship belts, the WBO, IBF, and WBC. Unfortunately, the “Gypsy King” never got to defend those belts, as he almost immediately left the conscious world, later tested positive for a banned substance and then told his loyal following that he had problems with depression. Can you blame him? Who wouldn’t be depressed after winning the coveted world heavyweight title? Fury had become somewhat of a recluse, had his boxing license revoked, started eating like there was no tomorrow and did very little as far as serious exercise for the next 2½ years.
On June 9, 2018, the then 29-year-old Fury returned to the ring to take on 39-year-old Sefer Seferi from Burgdorf, Switzerland. (No, we did not make that name up.) What made Seferi worthy of such a meeting with Fury? Nada! Before fighting Fury, Seferi had only fought journeymen – tough guys like Anton Lascek (5-42-5), Drazen Ordulj (2-8-1), Roman Klucar (1-10-1), Ivica Cukusic (7-62-4), Gyorgy Mihalik (1-3) twice, Tomislav Juric Grgic (0-7), Viktor Szalai (14-30-3), Istvan Bobis (0-4-1), Gabor Zsalek (9-14-1), Josip Jalusic (10-33-1), Sasa Dajic (0-5) and Radenko Kovac (2-6) who upon their meeting with Seferi had a combined record of 51 wins, 182 losses and 17 draws. These “journeymen” have very little to no expectations of winning their fights, thus they are said to be “along for the journey.” They are generally competent boxers who possess solid boxing skills and the ability to absorb punishment. The fight with Seferi was a bit of an embarrassment for the out of shape 276 pounds former World Champion who was 66 pounds heavier than Seferi, plus both boxers appeared to be more interested in a fight in the crowd than they were about fighting each other. The former champion slimmed down to a more respectable 258 lbs. for his next outing versus the Italian southpaw Francesco Pianeta and displayed his former dominance in a 100-90 decision victory.
This meeting with Wilder should be a dandy and with the WBC belt on the line, a serious one. Since Wilder possesses a right hand that could end the fight instantly, you can’t wager against him. And, don’t expect this fight to be a short one. There will be your obligatory five rounds of lolly-gagging with the boxers circling about as they measure distance. Then, it will come down to: can Fury confuse Wilder to the point that Wilder’s right hand never lands? Not likely. If that were to happen, would Fury be able to land his own slapping punches on the more mobile Wilder? Someone is bound to get careless and the other will be taking full advantage. Since Wilder has the quicker hands, has remained drug-free and thus has a clearer mind, we can’t see him falling prey to a weaker pill popper.
Nonetheless, this website is a huge fan of Mr. Fury, a very likable gent who could easily be a big hit as a standup comedian or have his own late night talk show. We also had an opportunity to meet Mr. Wilder at the Cris Arreola versus Bermane Stiverne fight at the USC Galen Center on the University of California campus. Even though Wilder tends to be more reticent, he is also very friendly. So, may the best man win.
