The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fury eyes ‘biggest prize in world’ with Wilder next year
Tyson Fury set his sights on a lucrative rematch with Deontay Wilder after excelling in his first fight in Las Vegas to stop Tom Schwarz in only two rounds.
The 30-year-old furthered his reputation as the world’s finest heavyweight at the MGM Grand by repeatedly hurting his German opponent from the opening bell, dropping him in the second round before forcing his corner to throw in the towel after two minutes and 50 seconds.
For all of his natural talent Fury has rarely been a destructive fighter, but at a time when he has the attention of a wider audience in the US and when his rewarding contract with ESPN commits him to fighting there he proved almost as entertaining as in December’s draw with Wilder.
Fury revealed that he is scheduled to fight again on either September 21 or October 5 in New York, and that the rematch with dangerous WBC champion Wilder will then become his priority in the first half of 2020 after he felt he should have got the verdict the first time around.
He wore the US stars and stripes to and in the ring as he ensured his popularity continued to grow, and he explained: “Deontay Wilder is coming. This fight is happening.
“There were three horses in the heavyweight division; now there’s two.
“I already beat him once so I’ll beat him again, and he’s going to get a fully match-fit, sharp Tyson Fury.
“It’s the biggest fight in world boxing, and the biggest we’ll see for the next few years. It doesn’t get any bigger.
“It’ll be brilliant to fight in New York (before then).
“I wanted to show a few things to the American public, to introduce myself properly.
“I showed a little bit of speed, boxing skill, my ability to slip and slide out of the way of punches and my ability to finish, which is important.
“I’m more active than I’ve ever been in my career, apart from the first year. I’ve always wanted to stay active, and I’m finally getting the opportunity to.
“I feel better with more weight on me, I put on an extra 10 or 11lbs from my last fight and I felt bigger and stronger for it.”
When the fight with the 25-year-old, previouslyundefeated Schwarz was made, Fury revealed fighting in Vegas had been a lifelong ambition, and he said: “This was my coming-out party. You saw me fight in December but I had to lose 147lbs for that fight. I wasn’t at my strongest.
“This time I had enough training and was strong, fit and ready to put on a show. My next few fights are definitely going to be in America. I wanted to put on a statement.”