Third leg of trilogy in Las Vegas has been postponed until the autumn
Tyson Fury believes Deontay Wilder accepted a trilogy fight with alacrity within a week of defeat because of “the money side”, revealing that his victory in Las Vegas was “one of the easiest fights” of his career.
Their third contest – after one draw and Fury’s victory six weeks ago – was scheduled for Las Vegas on July 18, but has now been postponed until the autumn due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Fury said on Monday: “I understand where he’s coming from. I understand that he has probably a lot of bills to pay. I’m sure that the money side of it is the tempting thing.”
Fury stopped Wilder on February 22 in the seventh round in a one sided domination of his rival. “I don’t think it’s too tempting to go in there and get an absolute beating like he did before, but he would be tempted by the amount of money that he would receive because they go through it quite quickly. I think that’s the reason he’s taking the fight, for the money.”
Fury was also surprised at the ease of the victory. “He didn’t win a second of that second fight, but in this game it’s a short game and a short career, and there’s an old saying – ‘We’ve gotta make hay while the sun shines.’ And for Deontay Wilder at the age of 34, how many big fights out there are left for him after a domination like he had?”
The British heavyweight world champion did not rule out Wilder’s excuses post-fight, namely the weight of the costume he wore to the ring.
“Maybe all the excuses he made, some of them were true,” Fury told TalkSport. “Maybe his legs were sore from the costume, maybe he did have the flu, maybe he did have a broken arm or a bone in his back or whatever. I’m not sure because that wasn’t the Deontay Wilder that I prepared for. That wasn’t the animal I put myself through all those hours in training for.
“Like I said, it would be one of my easiest fights, and it was. I believe that was one of my easiest fights apart from the early knockovers that I had. To be honest I was quite disappointed in the challenge that Wilder brought. I prepared for the best fighter on the planet, I prepared for the most vicious puncher on the Earth that there’s ever been. And I was quite disappointed because it wasn’t the challenge that I expected.”
Fury has also been combating any mental health issues on lockdown by home workouts which he has made public.
“You can take positives out of every negative, and the positive I can take out of this one is that I get to spend a lot more time with my family,” said Fury. “People are really realising now what’s important in life. Sometimes we get lost in the ride of life, thinking about our ambitions and everything – and we forget about the really important things – families, friends, loved-ones, health.”
“I have a routine every day and my workouts help me. In the couple of weeks I’ve been locked down I’ve had time to focus on the things that really matter in my life. I think I’ll come back a different person and I think I’ll have a different mindset.”
Nigel Benn, the 56-year-old former two-weight world champion who retired in 1996 with 42 wins, five defeats and one draw yesterday expressed his grief at the passing of his brother from Covid19.
“My brother Mark passed away today. As we all were growing up Mark was the Joker of the Benn house hold,” Benn posted on his Instagram account. “May he Rest In Peace. Love you Mark.”
This Article First Appeared On The Telegraph