This weekend sees one of the most exciting and eagerly awaited 
boxing matches of the year taking place in Las Vegas. At 4pm British time, approximately, Deontay Wilder, the undefeated American heavyweight, will put his WBC World Heavyweight title on the line against the controversial British boxer Tyson Fury, a former World Champion and a former holder of all other Heavyweight title belts, who lost his titles after he was stripped off them for testing positive for cocaine and suffering with depression.
Many in boxing feel that Fury is the true World Champion, having never lost his titles, or been defeated in the ring, while Wilder holds the only belt that Fury has yet to claim. The holder of the other heavyweight titles, Anthony Joshua, may well face up against the winner of this bout in April next year.
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So, who is likely to come out on top of this battle? Let’s take a look at both boxers and also at the Tale of the Tape to see who is most likely to emerge as the winner. Remember too, if you fancy a bet on the outcome of the bout, you can sign up today with the latest bet365 Sport New Player Bonus.
Deontay Wilder – Bio
Born In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Deontay Wilder first gained fame when winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, a fact which led to him being nicknamed the Bronze Bomber. He finished his amateur career with a record of 30 wins and five defeats.
He turned professional in November 2008, defeating Ethan Cox in the second round after knocking his opponent down three times. Over the next few years he would enhance his record by defeating a number of domestic heavyweights and others from the Caribbean and he gave UK fans a taste of his ability by knocking out Audley Harrison in the first round in April 2013 for his 28th victory in 28 bouts.
Four more wins followed before he took on Canadian Bermane Stiverne for the WBC Heavyweight title at the MGM Grand in Paradise, Nevada. It was the only fight where Wilder was taken the distance, but he won the bout by unanimous decision to become the WBC Champion of the World.
Since then Wilder has beaten Eric Molina, Johan Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, Bermane Stiverne (again) and most recently Luis Ortiz to earn a 40-0 record.
Tyson Fury Bio
Fury had a somewhat unremarkable Amateur record, turning professional after losing out to David Price to represent Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics on 2008. By the end of his amateur career, Fury had a record of 31 wins and four loses.
Fury began well as professional in December 2008 defeating Bela Gyomgyosi comfortably in the first round. However in his eighth fight he was given a controversial win over John McDermott in the English Heavyweight title bout, when many felt McDermott should have won. Two other wins followed before Fury and McDermott met again, this time Fury winning decisively by a 9th round TKO.
Since then he has beaten Dereck Chisora (twice), Kevin Johnson, Steve Cunningham, the latter after being knocked down early in the fight before stopping the American in the 7th. Wins over Joey Abell, Chisora and Christian Hammer then saw Fury earmarked as the next opponent for Wladimir Klitschko.
In a stunning upset in Dusseldorf, Fury defeated Klitschko to claim the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring titles, becoming the Lineal Champion. However, beset by depression and after failing a drugs test due to cocaine, he relinquished his belts without ever defending them in the ring.
His comeback after almost three years out of the ring began in June 2018 with a win over Albanian Sefer Seferi in what was, frankly, a joke of a mismatch. He then defeated ex-World Championship contender Francesco Planeta in his next warm up fight on points in Belfast setting him up for the fight on December 1st against Wilder.
Wilder v Fury – Tale of the Tape
| Deontay Wilder | WBC World Heavyweight Championship | Tyson Fury |
| U.S.A | Nationality | G.B & N.Ireland |
| 33 | Age | 30 |
| 6’7” | Height | 6’9” |
| 211cm | Reach | 216cm |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| 40 | Wins | 27 |
| 39 | By KO | 19 |
| 98% | KO% | 70% |
| 0 | Losses | 0 |
| 0 | Stopped | 0 |
| 0 | Draws | 0 |
| 2008 | Debut Year | 2008 |
| 123 | Pro Rounds Boxed | 160 |
Bookmakers Odds
The odds for the fight shown below are provided courtesy of bet365 Sport.
*Odds shown correct as of 10.30am on Monday 26th November 2018
Our Tips for Wilder v Fury
- To Win Fight – Wilder – 4/7
Billed as the biggest heavyweight fight of the year, there has been a huge amount of hype over the past few months for this fight between the two unbeaten stars. Fury has held all the belts apart from the one Wilder now holds and is regarded by many as the Lineal Champion, only losing his titles out of the ring.
However, his two years of inactivity will, I believe, have taken a good deal of energy from him and although he has got back into shape remarkably well, he does not have the rounds boxed in that time to back up his claims as a credible winner here.
Wilder hasn’t boxed a huge amount, but he did box as recently as early 2018, defeating Luis Ortiz in a brutal battle and that combined with his better physical and mental shape over the years, plus his explosiveness in the ring and ability to knock out opponents, make him, for me at least, the clear favourite to win the fight and he is a favourite I believe is worth backing.
While I see Fury’s style being tricky for Wilder to deal with, perhaps more so than any other fighter he has faced, the problem is that I don’t think Fury has the power to trouble Wilder a great deal, while Wilder’s power could knock out any heavyweight in the world if he can land it, which he has done in 98% of his fights so far.
It is here that I think the fight will be won as Fury’s ring craft cannot be as sharp as Wilders and sooner or later, I think the British fighter will be caught by a big shot from Wilder and I can see that being the beginning of the end for Fury. The only question for me, is when in the fight will that happen.
- Fight Outcome – Wilder to win by Knockout, TKO or Disqualification – Evens
As I have intimated above, I think this will be a fight that is unlikely to go the distance. There are a number of reasons for this, firstly, I think Fury will not have the stamina or rounds in the bank over the last 24 months to go deep in the fight. Secondly, I think Wilder will want to use his power and explosive speed to get Fury out of the ring early and lastly, I think both fighters are ready to tear into each other from early on in the fight to try and gain an upper hand and a psychological edge.
However, for me, Wilder’s knockout percentage cannot be ignored and the fact that Fury hasn’t boxed for two years means that for me, a knockout win for Wilder seems to be the most obvious bet available this weekend, regardless of Fury’s talent in the ring.
- What Round will Fight End? – Round 7 – 11/1 (or Rounds 7-9 – 15/4)
The final tip for this fight is what round the contest will end, if we are assuming that it is going to be won inside the distance and as explosive as Wilder is, I think in the early rounds, Fury will have enough energy and alertness to use his evasive skills well to avoid Wilder’s biggest punches.
However, as the rounds go on, I can see Fury tiring, simply because he has not boxed professionally for two years and there’s no amount of work you can do outside of the ring, to get you physically prepared for a battle like this inside. As such, by the middle of the fight, I think Fury will start to feel the pace and I feel this is when Wilder will strike.
You could back Round 7 for the knockout win at odds of 11/1, but for a more flexible option, you could back Rounds 7-9, which gives you a three-round selection, which is a 15/4 shot with bet365 Sport at present.
