Forget the Caucus. Nevada’s Real Showdown Tomorrow is Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury, the Biggest Boxing Match in Years

Harry How/Getty Images

There’s a showdown in Nevada, on Saturday, which is capturing imaginations across the country, and even the world. The competitors are evenly matched. The trash talk is intense. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.

No, silly. We’re not talking about the caucus. We’re talking about the heavyweight championship boxing match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury — which goes down Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The fight is a rematch of a December 2018 bout in which England’s Fury (29-0-1, 20 knockouts) and Alabama’s Wilder (42-0-1, 41 knockouts) fought to a thrilling split draw. Fury controlled the action most of the way, until Wilder delivered a thudding series of blows in the ninth round — sending his foe to the canvas. Wilder followed up with a thunderous right hand in the 12th, scoring another brutal knockdown. But Fury miraculously beat the count, and survived to earn the draw — in a fight that many, including this reporter (who covered the bout ringside for the Washington Post), believed he eked out on the scorecards.

Okay, so why should you — casual observer who might not have watched boxing since the Mike Tyson days — plunk down 80 bucks to check out this fight? It’s precisely because heavyweight boxing has not been as thrilling since the days of Mike Tyson. Wilder does not possess classic boxing skill, but his power is the great equalizer. His right hand could be the single hardest punch in boxing history. Only twice in 43 bouts has Wilder’s opponent made it to the final bell. None of his first 32 opponents even made it past the 4th round.

Here’s a look at Wilder’s unparalleled power — footage of the crushing 12th round knockdown from his first battle with Fury.

But Fury got up from that staggering blow, and became one of two Wilder foes who did survive 12 punishing rounds. The Brit did it with superior boxing skill — keeping Wilder at a distance in their first meeting. He has also turned aside future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko as part of his burgeoning resume.

Beyond their immense skill, both men bring outsized personalities with them to the ring. They are compelling characters. Wilder has a mile-wide smile, and an unmistakable charisma. And Fury is a lovable goofball. In a news conference immediately following Wilder-Fury 1 in Los Angeles, Fury led an Ally McBeal-esque press room singalong of American Pie for no apparent reason.

Yet the upbeat personas belie bad intentions in the ring. Both fighters are predicting they will win by knockout. It’s all been part of a promotion which has been intense — with the two engaging in pushing and shoving at a news conference on Wednesday.

So while Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren and the others duke it out to see who will be one step closer to the presidency, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will meet in the ring to engage in combat which is more pure, more thrilling, and — dare we say, after the trainwreck of a debate on Wednesday night — more noble?

The telecast begins at 9:00 p.m. ET. ESPN’s Joe Tessitore and Andre Ward will team up with Fox’s Lennox Lewis to call the action from ringside. The fight is being telecast on pay per view at a cost of $79.99, and can be streamed online via Fox Sports and ESPN+. The bout is also being shown at movie theaters across the country at a price of $20 per ticket. You can find a local participating theatre here.

[Footage above via Showtime]

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