As most fight fans can remember, there was a time when almost all of the big, big heavyweight fights – true super-fights as they were – took place in glitzy Las Vegas. From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, the big men of the sport duked it out on or just off The Strip: Foreman, Holmes, Norton, Cooney Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe and more helped add to the very special magic that was a heavyweight night in Vegas.
Not since the infamous “Bite Fight” rematch between Holyfield and Tyson has a genuine heavyweight occasion been witnessed in Las Vegas. But this could change, this December. Tyson Fury, along with his promoter Frank Warren, has confirmed how talks between he and WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder are fully underway and that the fight is “very close to being done.” Fury added how he expects the fight to take place in either Vegas or maybe New York.
This fight should signal the Vegas heavyweight super-fight comeback.
Imagine the magnitude of this one: both men are unbelievably outspoken and charismatic, both giants are unbeaten, both have a legitimate claim to being the best heavyweight on the planet and both men have been involved in exciting fights during their respective careers (Wilder especially). Added to this, an army of British fight fans would likely invade Vegas to support Fury, helping to give the fight and occasion a carnival-like atmosphere not seen since the days of Ricky Hatton’s massive nights in Nevada.
As for the fight itself and who would win: take your pick, or take your guess. Wilder has don’t-blink one-punch KO power, while Fury has amazing boxing skills. Hit and not get hit would almost certainly be Fury’s game-plan, while lights out would be Wilder’s intention; his bad intentions.
How much of the speed, timing and ability to concentrate he showed in his big win over Wladimir Klitschko has Fury retained? Would the wild, often ragged (yet so far lethal and effective) punching approach of Wilder get the job done against a man who stands even taller than he does?
These questions and more could be answered in December of this year, and what better venue for this clash of unbeaten heavyweight kings is there but Las Vegas? Make it happen, at The T-Mobile, at The MGM or at The Mandalay Bay, and fight fans of a certain age – along with newer, younger fans – will be more than happy.
How about this for a tag-line for Wilder Vs. Fury: “Power Vs. Fury!” or maybe “KO King Vs. Gypsy King!”