One of the biggest fights in the history of boxing will take place this month when Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury meet in their highly anticipated rematch for the WBC Heavyweight Title.
Being billed as ‘Unfinished Business’, the blockbuster match up will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday 22 February.
The first contest between The Bronze Bomber and The Gypsy King took place on 1 December 2018 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. At the time Wilder was the undefeated defending heavyweight champion and Fury was the undefeated challenger.
In an intense fight, Fury won the majority of the rounds thanks to his footwork and movement – however he was floored twice by a dangerous Wilder, in the ninth and 12th rounds. In a dramatic twist, Fury got back to his feet after the second knockdown and somehow managed to put Wilder back under pressure.
When the epic fight was announced as a controversial split-decision draw after 12 rounds, boos rang out around the 18,000-strong crowd. The scorecards stood at 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury, and 113-113, meaning Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight title for the eighth time, but many pundits believed the decision should have gone to Fury.
After that dramatic night in 2018, Fury opted out of an immediate rematch and the fighters went their separate ways. Wilder and Fury both remained unbeaten during this time, with Wilder overcoming Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz, and Fury conquering Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin.
The long-awaited rematch this February gives Fury the chance to once again show his skill and showmanship against Wilder - but this time he has vowed to knockout The Bronze Bomber, so there can be no disputing the result.
In fact, in an exchange prior to their recent press conference, Wilder asked Fury how he was planning to knock him out, to which Fury replied: "Two rounds and out. I'm going to hit you on the point of the chin then the legs are going to go."
British Fury, who has won 20 out of his 30 fights by knockout, has also said about the fight: “I’m not coming here for a points decision, I’ve had too many of them - nine of them - I’m coming here for a knockout. I’ve had 21 of them and from the heart that’s what I’m looking to do.”
Meanwhile American Wilder, who has won 41 out of his 43 fights by knockout, has said he is ready to face Fury again.
He said: “It’s called unfinished business and he won’t be able to get back up. I’m going to knock him out. We both have to come in like we did the first fight, with our hearts on our sleeves and the warrior mentality that we always bring.”
While the result may be unpredictable, one thing we can be sure of about this rematch is that the whole boxing world will be watching to see the outcome. Here at Bravose we will be tuning in and hoping for an undisputable outcome to settle this controversial tale once and for all.
