The rivalry reaches its crescendo this weekend when Tyson Fury fights Deontay Wilder for the third time in three years, in Las Vegas.
The WBC heavyweight championship fight, and a high-quality undercard, will be broadcast live on SuperSport Action and SuperSport Grandstand on Sunday 10 October. The fight will also be available to watch live with Showmax Pro.
Among the earlier fights is a heavyweight showdown between Nigerian dreadnought Efe Ajagba and Frank Sanchez of Cuba, both unbeaten and both dangerous punchers.
But it is Fury versus Wilder that will lock in fans across the world given how their earlier fights unfolded. Both were high on drama, raw power, and savage punching.
The first fight was a split decision draw, but Fury emerged with greater credit for his sensational recovery from a brutal knockdown to take the fight to Wilder. Then, in the rematch, he turned aggressor and blew the American away in the most dominant performance of his career.
Wilder opted for the courts to secure the rematch. He also fired Mark Breland, his assistant trainer, and brought in Malik Scott in an effort to craft a plan to dismantle the awkward Fury, whose ring wiles and movement are unlike any other fighter in the heavyweight division.
Whatever Scott manages to tweak, the one thing that will endure is Wilder’s freakish power. With 41 knockouts in his 42 wins, he ranks as the greatest puncher in boxing history, a statistic that makes him a live dog in a fight that Fury nonetheless starts favorite in.
As he demonstrated in their first bout, he can land devastating punches. But his power game can be unpicked by a boxer as smart as Fury, who uses his naturally bigger size and long arms to keep distance and frustrate Wilder.
A fascinating, and likely ferocious, fight awaits.
