Tyson Fury doesn’t want Deontay Wilder anywhere near his undercard, or any ring, for that matter. After Netflix and Dana White announced earlier this week that Wilder will face cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia on the Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card, Fury told Fight Hype that the booking was a mistake and that the man he fought in a heavyweight trilogy is finished.
“It’s silly really, for Deontay’s part. He shouldn’t be in a ring, he should be nowhere near a ring, he should not be. It’s a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight when he’s shot to bits,” Fury said. “He never should have fought again after I beat him the last time, that should’ve been the end of it. But, needs must.”
The 38-year-old Fury had more to say about Wilder’s outing against Derek Chisora, which he clearly didn’t enjoy watching. He said the two “looked shockingly terrible when they fought” and that “Chisora is like 145 years old and he was taking Wilder’s knockout power shots that aren’t there anymore.” Then came the line that probably stings Wilder the most: “It’s a shame because if you’d have matched them two up five years ago, it wouldn’t have lasted one round.”
Fury suggested the reason Wilder keeps showing up is money. That’s an odd glass house to throw stones from, since Fury has retired and come back several times himself, but he isn’t wrong that the paycheck math changes as a career winds down.
Why Opetaia is the favorite
Boxing fans pushed back on the matchup almost immediately after the announcement, and most of the criticism has the same shape. They see it as a technical mismatch that puts the bigger man in danger. Opetaia is widely favored despite giving up size, because he’s the faster and more polished fighter. The Australian has a lot to gain. Beating a former heavyweight world champion with Wilder’s name recognition would open doors at heavyweight and could put him in line for mainstream attention and possibly a shot at Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder, now 41, has one real path. He needs to land the right hand that made him famous. The trouble is that the evidence for that right hand lately is thin. He couldn’t put away Chisora, a man who has been knocked out four times in his career. If Wilder somehow wins, he could make a case for one last heavyweight title run. If he loses, this may be the last time anyone sees him in a ring.
Sal’s take
I’ve lost money betting on punchers who were supposed to have “one shot left,” and the problem is always the same. Power is the last thing to go, right up until it’s gone. Wilder failing to stop Chisora is the single most useful data point here, and it points the same direction Fury does. A cruiserweight with Opetaia’s hand speed doesn’t need to hurt Wilder. He only needs to keep from getting hit clean for however many rounds it takes. If the books hang Wilder as a live dog for the nostalgia crowd, I’ll pass. I only bet underdogs when something live is left in them, and Fury, of all people, just told everyone what he thinks is left.
