WBC Champ Wilder – “Nobody is coming to see Fury fight”

While he knows that he has to take care of business with Victor Ortiz coming in November first, WBC Heavyweight Champ, Deontay Wilder, has had an eye on another future opponent, Tyson Fury.

Appearing exclusively on the Premier Boxing Champions podcast this week, Wilder gave wide-ranging answers on several subjects. However, when the conversation turned to Fury, the man who battled Wilder to a 12-round draw last December and is the only blemish on Wilder’s 41-0-1 unbeaten record, Wilder was predictably critical and candid:

With big rematches looming, Deontay Wilder is taking the proper steps in and out of the ring to cement his legacy. Check out our one on one with the champ: #boxing @premierboxing https://t.co/pfmBFP6IOJ

— Kenneth Bouhairie (@KBouhairie) September 20, 2019

Fury had unexpected adversity and problems putting away unheralded Swedish fighter Otto Wallin last Saturday night in Las Vegas. After being cut badly over the right eye in the third round, Fury had to use every bit of his experience, talent and guts to survive and get a 12-round decision, while bleeding badly throughout the fight.

There has been much criticism of Fury’s last two opponents this summer since his near defeat of the champ and Wilder decided to pile on:

“Look at his two fights since we fought. His people messed up thinking he sold our pay-per-view. Nobody is coming to see Fury fight. First, he came into the ring with an American robe. Then he’s got a Mexican outfit. Tomorrow he’s Irish. What he is really is a clown. (There were reportedly fewer than 6,000 tickets sold for last Saturday’s fight a T-Mobile Arena in Vegas)

“He just gotta heal up and get ready because I’m a knock him out again,” Wilder continued. “It might be the end of his career. That’s for later.

Right now, my focus is on Ortiz. I have to handle business with him first.” 

That “business” against Ortiz is for a yet-to-be-announced November date. It has been reported that the fight will be November 23rd in Las Vegas. Ortiz fought valiantly and actually shook Wilder up in their March 2018 meeting in before the champ rallied to stop him in the 10th round.

And one further important point, while there is a signed rematch between Wilder and Fury, it’s obviously contingent on Wilder defeating Ortiz first. But, there are also reports the Wilder and PBC have at least explored paying off Fury to step aside from their proposed February rematch, for now and potentially, let Wilder fight someone else.

That someone could be PBC fighter and Unified Heavyweight Champ, Andy Ruiz. He captured the WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight titles in a stunning 7th round TKO upset in June of Britain’s Anthony Joshua.  And, those two are slated to rematch shortly after Wilder’s fight with Ortiz on December 7th in Saudi Arabia.