LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 25: Deontay Wilder (L) and Tyson Fury face off during a news conference at Fox Studios on January 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are ready to do whatever it takes to make sure they’re victorious Saturday night.

Jason Leach

We are just days away from one of the most anticipated rematches in the last 20 years, as undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) will once again defend his title against undefeated lineal champion Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

The Wilder vs. Fury 2 pay-per-view broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will be shown on FOX Sports PPV and ESPN+ PPV.

These two men first fought on Dec. 1, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the fight ended in a draw (115–111 for Wilder, 114–112 for Fury and 113–113) in an entertaining and crowd-pleasing affair.

Fury’s faster hands and awkwardness caused Wilder problems the entire fight as Fury controlled the action in the middle of the ring. Fury was landing the cleaner punches and frustrating Wilder and making him miss.

But Wilder was finally able to land his power punches on Fury. He dropped Fury with a right-left combination in round 9 and then knocked him down again in Round 12 with a devastating right-cross left-hook combination that had Fury flat on his back. Everyone thought the fight was over, but Fury was somehow able to get up at referee Jack Reiss’s count of nine and the fight continued.

When it was announced that the fight was a draw, both fighters had disappointed look on their faces. Now 14 months after their first fight, the 34-year-old Wilder and 31-year-old Fury will fight again to prove once and for all who is the better fighter.

Here are the keys to victory for both men:

Keys to victory for Fury

Keep the fight in the middle of the ring

Fury needs to implement the same game plan as he did in the first fight by keeping the fight in the middle of the ring. He also needs to use his jab and boxing ability to control the action.

Fury is the most skillful boxer in the heavyweight divisions, and as long as the fight is in the middle of the ring, he can utilize his 6-foot-9 height and 85-inch reach to his advantage against the 6-foot-7 Wilder.

Be wary of Wilder’s power at all times

If Fury would have avoided the two knockdowns in the first fight, he would have won an easy unanimous decision. One of the reasons Wilder was able to knockdown Fury was due to Fury being overconfident that he was outboxing Wilder, and wasn’t cautious enough of Wilder’s power.

Wilder is one of the hardest-punching heavyweights of all-time, and he can end a fight at any moment if he connects with his thunderous right hand. Fury must be wary at all times of Wilder’s power and box more cautiously.

Keys to victory for Wilder

Attack Fury’s body

Wilder seldom attacks his opponent’s body, but seeing how difficult it was to connect with Fury’s head in the first fight, it would behoove Wilder to throw more body punches in the rematch. The benefit of attacking Fury’s body is that it will slow him down and bring down his guard which will make it easier for Wilder to connect with Fury’s head.

Don’t get frustrated by Fury’s antics

Wilder was visibly frustrated with his inability to hit Fury and because of Fury’s showboating antics. As a result, Wilder’s game plan was thrown off as he was swinging more wildly than usual trying to force a knockout.

On Saturday night, Wilder must remain composed and not let Fury’s tactics frustrate him as they did in the first fight.

Prediction:

Having been in the ring with Fury for 12 rounds, Wilder is now accustomed to Fury’s awkward and elusive style. Wilder fares better in rematches as he made quicker work of Bermane Stiverne and Luis Ortiz in the rematches.

Fury will still cause Wilder problems with his elusiveness and faster hands, but, eventually, Wilder will catch him with a devastating right hand and end the fight.

Wilder by 11th-round knockout

Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.