Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury II Odds & Picks
- Wilder vs Fury II goes Saturday, February 22 at 11 pm ET
- Does Fury put on a sweet science masterclass or will Wilder maintain his 98% knockout rate?
- Check out the odds, bout breakdown, and my fight prediction below
Wilder vs Fury II pits WBC heavyweight champion against lineal heavyweight champion. It goes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Feb 22 at 11pm ET. The aforementioned WBC gold is on the line as well as The Ring heavyweight title (which is vacant) and also the distinction of being the lineal champ.
The tagline for this event is “Unfinished Business” but this rivalry will reach a closure point this coming weekend. Their initial fight was quite controversial in the eyes of pundits and fans alike.
Wilder vs Fury II Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Deontay Wilder | -120 |
| Tyson Fury | +100 |
Odds taken Feb. 16th
Many saw the bout in favor of Fury, who seemed to win the bulk of the rounds with superior fight IQ and output. There was also a pronounced segment of people who thought Wilder had the bigger moments, scoring two dramatic knockdowns in the later rounds. Since the first matchup, both pugilists have gone 2-0.
Wilder has scored KO victories over Dominic Breazeale and Luis Ortiz in the first-round and seventh-round, respectively. Conversely, Fury has handed both Tom Schwarz (capturing the WBO intercontinental heavyweight title via TKO) and Otto Wallin their first losses as professionals.
A Legacy Fight
Fury has been making bold claims ahead of this fight that he’s going to stop Wilder in the second round of the fight. I see this as little more than posturing ahead of the fight where he’s trying to mess with Wilder’s head. This is a common tactic in prizefighting where someone posits that they’ll fight outside of their regular style and then they end up reverting back to their bread and butter on fight night.
I can see Fury utilizing a defensively savvy, feint heavy gameplan to keep Wilder guessing, all the while timing his entries well and blistering the WBC titlist with multi-punch combinations. Incredibly compelling styles clash between these two pugilists, who have never tasted defeat as pros. This is truly a legacy fight taking place during a banner era for heavyweight boxing.
https://twitter.com/thebenchboydfw/status/1227771176623185921
Some saw Fury’s last performance against Otto Wallin as a bit of an underwhelming effort that revealed some holes in Fury’s game. Though he won the fight relatively handily, he put himself in certain situations with Wallin that could result in a stoppage loss if he puts himself in similar positions against Wilder.
Tyson Fury is the only opponent Deontay Wilder hasn’t knocked out en route to victory. Even in the lone bout which wasn’t a KO stoppage (a decision win over Bermane Stiverne to capture the belt in January 2015), Wilder still would go on to fold him in the rematch. Fury has to be perfect for 12 rounds, while Wilder only needs a few seconds and one shot to change it all.
Wilder vs Fury II Tale of the Tape
| 42-0-1 | Record | 29-0-1 |
| 41 | Knockouts | 20 |
| 6’7 | Height | 6’9 |
| 83″ | Reach | 85″ |
| L. Ortiz, B. Stiverne, C. Arreola | Significant Wins | W. Klitschko, D. Chisora, C. Hammer |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
Is it the preternatural KO power of Wilder or the unassailably solid, elite-level Boxing technique of Fury? In the end, I see Tyson Fury getting it done. I don’t necessarily know if The Gypsy King finishes it via knockout inside a couple of rounds like he has been prognosticating. But I do see Fury getting it done via unanimous decision and he will wrest the gold from The Bronze Bomber.
Pick: Tyson Fury (+100)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
