Skip to content
Home » Shelly Finkel explains why Deontay Wilder lost so badly to Tyson Fury

Shelly Finkel explains why Deontay Wilder lost so badly to Tyson Fury

  • by
  • 3 min read

Shelly Finkel has aired why he thinks Deontay Wilder was beaten so severely in the second Tyson Fury fight back in February 2020.

Wilder was taken out in seven painful rounds of a one-sided fight, surrendering his WBC heavyweight title to his fiercest rival in Las Vegas.

Sixteen months on, and massive media coverage since then, Finkel finally believes he’s figured out what went wrong on that fateful night.

“I remember there was only one time he was the underdog. That was the first [Bermane] Stiverne fight. [For that fight] he got disciplined, and he did what he had to do,” Finkel told Sky Sports.

“I think he just believed that there was no way that Fury could beat him. It disrupted his equilibrium, I guess, is the best way to say it.

“He had a lot of things he thought about. I think he should not have said them. He did, he meant them, but now he’s more, ‘Okay, now I’ve got to prove it.

“I can’t talk,’ and that’s what he’s going to do,” he added.

Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder
Mikey Williams

DEONTAY WILDER OVERCONFIDENCE

Whether it was a lack of discipline or over-confidence, “The Bronze Bomber” has only one opportunity to put things right in his mind.

Another loss in a similar fashion would mean the Fury saga ends this summer. It could also signal the conclusion of any chances Wilder had of facing Anthony Joshua.

The American is at a crossroads in his career at the age of 35. As Finkel reiterated, he needs to remain focused for every single second of his fight with Fury.

“He has a lot of skills that he hasn’t shown recently. Like he says, ‘They need twelve rounds, I need two seconds.’ – I think you’ll see someone prepared for twelve rounds.”

July 24th cannot come quickly enough for boxing fans as a sizzling summer of bouts is topped by the most significant heavyweight fight since their last meeting.

Can Deontay Wilder exact cold revenge with his one-punch super-power? – Or will Tyson Fury once again dominate with his considerable skills, style, and size advantage.

The clash of the titans remains as intriguing as ever.

Phil Jay is the Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America since 2018. And a member of the Sports Journalists’ Association. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.