Deontay Wilder apparently doesn’t have the resolve to bury the hatchet with his nemesis Tyson Fury.
Wilder, the former heavyweight champion from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was involved in a thrilling trilogy with the WBC champion from England. Their rivalry became especially controversial heading into the third and final fight that took place last October; Wilder made numerous accusations that Fury cheated in his second fight, one accusation being that Fury had “loaded” his gloves, an opinion that Wilder evidently still firmly holds.
In a recent interview, Wilder was asked if he would have any interest in putting the past behind him with Fury because of how friendly he now is with another former opponent, Cuban contender Luis Ortiz. Wilder was seen befriending Ortiz in the lead up to Ortiz’s heavyweight fight with Andy Ruiz last weekend, which Ruiz won by decision. Wilder stopped Ortiz on two separate occasions: the first time in 2018, in the 10th round, and the second time in 2019, in the seventh.
Wilder’s response was clear: there will be no hugs or high fives with the Manchester native.
“No, never, because I know the truth behind it,” Wilder told FightHype.com. “I don’t approve of cheating and things like that. I know it doesn’t matter what people say.”
Wilder took issue with critics who insisted he should have gone to “the authorities” if he felt so aggrieved by Fury’s alleged cheating. Wilder said that as a boxer, his natural inclination is to personally seek revenge inside the ring, rather than offload the duty onto someone else. Wilder and Fury drew to a draw in 2018, but Fury stopped Wilder in their second meeting of 2020 and did so again at the end of their third fight last year.
“It’s like you have analysts saying, ‘If he had something on his glove, why didn’t you go to the authorities?’” Wilder said. “I wish I was in front of them (the analysts) and grabbed their necks and put them close to my face so that we are face to face, face to face, so much so that my breath touches their faces, and I tell them, ‘why heck would I go to the authorities when I get the chance to release my own energy and get my hands on him on the off chance of trying to kill him and get paid millions of dollars to do it? .’ Why would he go to the authorities?
Wilder said he would not have personally benefited from addressing the issues with a higher entity, because, in this view, Fury would then be “locked in,” effectively ruining a payday.
“OKAY [I] go to the authorities and they lock him up, then what next? Wilder said. “That’s it. Good wording. OK, we prove our case. No one feeds. What justice has done that? That doesn’t make sense. What [criticism] It seems that someone is not conflictive, that [is not involved] in combat sports because their mindset isn’t about fighting, it’s about being nice or, that theory doesn’t even make sense to me. We’re in the hurt business. This is what we do. I can hurt you and get paid to do it. That sounds like a sweet deal to me.”
When asked if he would be willing to fight Fury again in a fourth match, Wilder replied, “definitely.”
“Who[ever’s] here, they bring a big fight, let’s do it,” Wilder said. “You know me, I’ve never ducked or dodged anyone. I am the one who blessed people with opportunities.”
Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) is set to fight for the first time in a year against Robert Helenius on October 15 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View.
