Two division world champion turned boxing analyst Andre Ward believes that Deontay Wilder will remain as dangerous as ever in his trilogy clash with WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury in Las Vegas on July 24.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ was outspoken after losing to the ‘Gypsy King’ in seven rounds in their February 2020 rematch, citing a number of excuses for that heavy defeat, but wore headphones and refused to answer questions or engage with Fury’s trademark banter on the bout’s official announcement at a press conference earlier this month.
Ward found that behaviour curious, but believes the big-punching Wilder is something akin to a wounded animal and will present a different threat at the T-Mobile Arena next month despite his increasingly erratic behaviour.
“I didn’t like the headphones from Wilder, but that’s the strategy he’s taking and we’re going to find out if it works or not. Fury has basically been doing what he’s been doing, talking his talk and he tends to back it up,” Ward told Fighthype.
“Wilder is out of character in a sense that he’s not his normal self, but we got to see if this new tactic of tuning the world out and tuning Fury out will work. We’re going to find out in a month from now. I don’t think he has a better chance. I think he has the chance that he’s always had.
“He’s dangerous, but I think he’s always going to be dangerous. But in this fight I think he’s going to be dangerous in a different kind of way because of the circumstances. He’s got a lot to prove.”
Main image: Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions.