Deontay Wilder is certain he concussed Tyson Fury during that quite incredible 12th-round back on December 1st, Fury being violently slammed to the canvas only to somehow get back up. The two battled to a draw yet Wilder feels he did lasting damage to Fury, that he will knock him out in their return fight.
Fury has said the rematch is on, signed and set for February 22, but first up Fury will defend his linear title against Otto Wallin of Sweden (and Wilder will face Luis Ortiz in a return, the date now being spoken of being November 23rd, the possible location Las Vegas).
And southpaw Wallin, undefeated, tells Sky Sports that he too feels the two knockdowns Fury suffered at the hands of Wilder may well have affected Fury’s punch resistance. And Wallin, 20-0(13) aims to capitalise when he faces Fury, also in Las Vegas, on September 14th.
“Anybody can get knocked out in the heavyweight division, that’s why it’s so exciting,” Wallin told Sky Sports. “Fury showed a good chin and a lot of heart in that fight (with Wilder), but maybe those shots have taken something out of him too. To have this fight is a dream come true. Now it’s time to show I belong here.”
Fury barely took a shot in his last fight, the easy blowout of Tom Schwarz, so we do not yet know if the Wilder fight took something out of him punch resistance-wise or not. Who knows? Wallin is a big guy and he can punch. Bob Arum for one is worried either Fury or Wilder may lose their interim fight, therefore ruining the big rematch everyone wants to see.
Wallin is hoping he turns out to be the right guy in the right place at the right time. Wilder’s lethal power has taken things away from other fighters, these men not being the same again after being hit by him. It will be interesting to see how Fury reacts if he’s cracked by a big punch, by either Wallin or by Wilder.
Wallin is adamant he will give his all and go for it next month; something he says Schwarz did not do.
