Like the rest of us, former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder is very interested in the outcome of the recently announced as signed heavyweight unification clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Wilder, who we are all waiting to see fight again (it’s now been a full year since Wilder last saw action, this his one round icing of Robert Helenius), spoke with Fight Hub TV, and “The Bronze Bomber” suggested we could see Fury using some underhanded tactics to overwhelm Usyk.
Wilder as we know, is not the biggest fan of Fury, to say the least, with Wilder still insisting Fury cheated to beat him, what with “tampered gloves” and all the rest of the stuff Wilder came out with after his second fight with Fury. Wilder spoke of “how they cheated [Steve] Cunningham with that clubbing,” and he feels Fury will use similar rough-house tactics when he fights the smaller man in Usyk.
“Fury’s size is what makes him gain more success,” Wilder said of the officially listed 6’9,” approx. 270 pound Fury. “When I see him against Usyk I see how they cheated [Steve] Cunningham with that clubbing, putting his weight on him and clubbing him, and I could see him doing the same thing with Usyk, putting his weight on him. I do think Usyk has more skills [than Fury] but when it comes to the size and stuff I don’t think he’ll be able to compete with the size of Fury. But who knows, that’s just my opinion.”
If fans recall, Fury, in his April 2013 fight with “USS,” did hold Cunningham with his forearm before blasting him with a right hand to the head, knocking Cunningham down and out, this in the 7th round of a fight that saw the smaller man have some great success early on. Cunningham said back than that Fury used illegal tactics against him, and Wilder clearly agrees (surprise, surprise). Yes, Fury can be rough in there, he can use his bulk and his sheer physical strength. But with the dimensions and the weight he has, Fury would be a fool not to use those assets, wouldn’t he?
Plenty of fans do agree with Wilder in as much as Usyk, the former cruiserweight champ, will be just too small for Fury (6’3″ and around 220). This, though, is what makes the fight so interesting. Will Usyk, with his great foot movement, speed and his head movement, be able to give Fury fits, with the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight ruler making his WBC rival look cumbersome and awkward?
It’s a fascinating fight, and now that it’s been signed, we can all look forward to seeing it.