Boxing Picks -- Was it Worth the "Weight" For Tyson Fury?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Sat, Feb 22nd, 2020 9:10:09 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


Deontay Wilder defends his WBC heavyweight title on Saturday night against Tyson Fury, who is regarded by some as the "lineal" champion.


Tyson Fury has made an interesting gambit for his heavyweight championship fight against Deontay Wilder, as it appears he is literally looking to overwhelm the WBC champion with size. Well, he'll have that "advantage," without a doubt, but will it really play in his favor as the two fighters meet at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night. Look for this to happen between 9 and 9:30 PM Pacific time.

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Nobody who saw the first fight between the two is going to forget it, as they battled to a 12-round draw. Fury outboxed Wilder enough that he got that result despite being knocked off his feet twice. And that 12th-round knockdown was thought by everybody to be the end, but Fury got up and saved himself.

So no one should underestimate him.

And it has been interesting to see what these fighters have in reaction to that initial bout that took place over fourteen months ago. Wilder has put some additional weight on, taking himself to a career high, though not by much. On Friday he came in at 231 pounds, which, honestly, is more consistent with his 6-7 frame.

He was probably looking to add some more power to his already powerful punch - enough to take his opponent completely out of the game this time. Fury had planned to gain weight and do the same. He changed trainers, which always creates an impression among "analysts" that there is a much different plan in the works.

But he is 273, which is 16-1/2 pounds heavier than he was last time around. Is this going to help him? That might be a central consideration on Saturday night.

Here are the odds at BetAnySports upon which we will make our boxing picks for this fight:

Deontay Wilder -145
Tyson Fury +125

Over 10.5 rounds +125
Under 10.5 rounds -145

What is Fury's potential edge here? Well, it's the same as it was last time, which is to say and ability to score points by hitting and not being hit. And in the process of this, elusiveness does a fighter a lot of good.

I mean, his strategy allowed him to go the distance and get him a draw with a man who has knocked out all but two opponents in 42 fights. He did that by being in shape. I would be extremely surprised if he was in better shape this time around. And I would be very surprised if he came in with more movement and thus, was able to keep Wilder more off-balance.

Maybe his plan is to come in and knock Wilder out. If that is the case, there are going to be instances when he is right in Wilder's wheelhouse. Frankly, he may find himself there whether he wants to be there or not.

I don't worry much about Wilder being in shape; in fact, I think he made a wise move not going up to 245, which is what he was talking about a year ago. If trainer Jay Deas talked him down from that, well, good job.

Wilder can actually win this in different ways, whether it is with the power shots (and the consensus is that he has more power than anyone in the game) or by using the jab to take control (when he chooses to use it as a weapon, he is effective). A losing strategy for him would be to rely too much on waiting and waiting to land that big right, allowing Fury to pile up points by being busier, and then not having enough late to close the show.

But I don't think he'll do that. I think he'll establish a jab and set Fury up for the right hand that way. I'm sure I would lay -170 on him scoring a knockdown. But I like the -145 on him for the victory. What I have also done, not so much as a hedge but a possible "bonus" plan, was to take a big price of +841 on Wilder to win a decision, though that's not necessarily how I think it's going to end.


Choose from a whole lot of props on Saturday night's heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder at BetAnySports....... And there's no site with as much in the way of variety in the way of boxing betting. So get on board with them. Open up an account using your debit card, credit card, person-to-person transfers or the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!

(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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