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WBC world champion Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and challenger Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) will truly be larger than life when they face off for the third time on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two heavyweights put up career-high weights at Friday’s weigh-in and pre-fight press conference, per ESPN’s Mike Coppinger:
TalkSport.com’s Michael Benson added some context to their measurements:
The fight Benson is referring to was the second meeting between Fury and Wilder in December 2020, which saw the former earn the WBC title by overpowering Wilder in a seventh-round technical knockout win. The first meeting between the two was a draw, with Fury dominating the earlier rounds and Wilder scoring two late knockdowns.
Both fighters have been waiting a long time for this trilogy fight. It was originally set for July, but was postponed after Fury tested positive for COVID-19. The tensions boiled over at Friday’s weigh-in.
Fury, 33, and his team clearly see size as the key to his success against Wilder. The Gypsy King weighed just 256.5 pounds for the first meeting against Wilder, per CBS Sports’ Brent Brookhouse. He was much more effective after bulking up for the second fight. His trainer, SugarHill Steward, had previously told Vegas Insider he thought Fury would come in at around 290 pounds for the third fight, saying “the bigger the better, the heavier the stronger.”
Though Fury didn’t end up packing on 20 extra pounds, he’s still looking to pummel the American on Saturday, likely using similar tactics to their last meeting.
Wilder, 35, is widely considered the hardest puncher in all of boxing, with 41 knockouts in 44 career fights. Fury and Bermane Stiverne are the only two people to reach the final bell against the “Bronze Bomber.” Wilder came close to stopping Fury in their first meeting with a 12th-round knockdown, but the “Gypsy King” was able to get up with seconds to spare. Wilder might be hoping a few extra pounds will allow him withstand Fury’s pressure and finish the job this time around.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup will be in position for a lucrative unification fight against either Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua. Usyk beat Joshua in September to win the WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight titles, but the latter plans on exercising his rematch clause. If that fight happens, the winner could take on either Fury or Wilder in late 2022.
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