Deontay Wilder’s extensive and exclusive WBN interview continues with the American’s stark thoughts on Tyson Fury’s recent Nevada debut.
Fury headlined in Las Vegas for the first time, entertaining fans with an homage to Rocky IV.
‘The Gypsy King’ donned a full ‘Uncle Sam’ outfit, copying Apollo Creed by entering the MGM Grand to James Brown’s famous anthem ‘Living in America’.
Facing little-known Tom Schwarz, Fury toyed with the German before taking him out in two rounds.
Attendance figures on the night were announced as 9,012, but later to be revealed as just under 5,000. The capacity for the MGM Grand is 17,000.
Asked his opinion on what many saw as Fury ‘cracking the US market’, Wilder held a different view entirely.
“The whole thing didn’t sit right, it was like a circus to me. The whole promotion was a circus to me,” Wilder exclusively told World Boxing News.
“They can’t advertise me knocking him out over and over and over again, with the same old stuff and him coming out to the American flag, Living in America. I didn’t like the theme, it didn’t sit right with me and I didn’t like it.
“If anybody was laughing then it was to be laughing at him, not with him that’s for sure. Here we go, we got this guy from England who’s supposed to come over and ‘save America’… ah man.”
ATTENDANCE
Elaborating further, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ went on to reveal his thoughts on the attendance figures.
“I guess it was entertaining to the people that was there y’know, just the FEW people that was there.
“I heard there was a horrible attendance, only 50% of tickets were sold but it’s hard here in America. People got to understand it’s hard, especially when they don’t really know you like that.
“Over here in America, they love the excitement, they love knockouts. They love a person who can talk his stuff like that too, but they love the knockouts.
“If you gonna talk that sh*t then they want to see the knockout, especially if you’re a heavyweight.
“If you can’t do that then everything else is all good and dandy but you have a fighter like Tyson Fury with attendance like that, it’s crazy,” he concluded.
Both fighters remain on a collision course despite failed negotiations for a May 18 rematch. Fury wanted more time to acclimatize to the market across the Atlantic.
Another outing is set for the fall, probably in New York, before Fury steps back into the ring with Wilder early next year.
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay (article transcribed by Assistant Editor).
READ PARTS I, II and III HERE
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