Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first?

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will go head-to-head on February 22^nd at the Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas in their much-anticipated rematch following their memorable heavyweight bout last year when Fury miraculously rose from the canvas to salvage a controversial draw against the Bronze Bomber.

The draw meant that both fighters maintained their unbeaten records, however, according to the Fury v Wilder odds, the Gypsy King is about to bring an end to the American’s impressive 43-fight unbeaten record.

Despite the first fight going the distance, there have been suggestions that Fury could target taking Wilder out in the early stages with a second-round knock-out – a strategy that seems to have puzzled the Bronze Bomber.

“Their strategy? I don’t know how to take it,” Wilder admitted at a press conference last weekend with Fox. “Are they trying to throw me off my game?

“I don’t know what he will do. He’s crazy, man.”

Fury is not known for coming out of the blocks fast – the Brit has won just eight of his 30 professional fights inside the first half, however, the Gypsy King is standing by his prediction ‘wholeheartedly’.

“The consensus is that either he knocks me out, or I win on points,” Fury said.

“I’m looking for the big right hand to nail Wilder,” he added. “Good night. I’m looking for the knockout.

“I won’t run. You won’t have to look for me. You’re going down in two rounds. Two! He’s getting knocked out in two rounds.”

It would be a risky tactic from the Gypsy King to go toe-to-toe with the 33-year-old at his own game and if you look at the latest odds, the chances of Fury knocking out Wilder early are extremely unlikely, and the American seems to agree saying that the former WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO world champion has ‘pillow hands for fists.’

The Bronze Bomber is, on the other hand, known for basing his style around his powerful right hand, knocking out all of his opponents to date except for Fury – who somehow got back on his feet following a trademark Wilder whack late in the last fight.

Wilder has also fought twice since the 2018 bout with Fury, knocking out Dominic Breazeale in the first round before seeing off Luiz Ortiz in the seventh, making him sharper than the Gypsy King, who has had just one fight in the same time frame.

Unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who could go head-to-head with the winner of the bout, is predicting a Fury victory telling Sky Sport: “I believe Fury will win.

“Wilder has shown you can’t blink for a second with him, it takes one punch, but it shows that a good boxer who’s young and fresh and who can make a game plan can be victorious for seven to X amount of round.

“Boxing is about hitting and not getting hit and Ortiz got hit by a big punch but Fury is evasive, he’s much bigger, he boxes on the back foot and flicks his jab so he is difficult to hit.

“He fought Wilder the first time after a long lay-off and I think Fury has taken some relatively soft touch fights got his confidence back and going into the new year as a new man, with a new team and a new mind set.

“He must feel something in him that is new and he wants to be the new heavyweight champion of the world.

“He has a good chance of beating Wilder as long as he sticks to his game plan for 12 rounds.”

The fight to go the distance again and Fury to win on points or by decision is a far more likely method of victory than the Gypsy King coming out all guns blazing for an early knockout.