Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2: Industry experts' predictions

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and lineal champion Tyson Fury lock horns for the second time when they meet Saturday for Wilder vs. Fury 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw back in December 2018. The Brit outboxed the American for the majority of the contest, but the atomic bomb known as Wilder's right hand dropped Fury twice, in the ninth and 12th round, to garner the draw.

A win by Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) would mark the 11th consecutive defense of his WBC belt. A win by Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) makes his comeback full circle after dealing with mental health issues. 

Many boxing pundits and fans are split on who exits Vegas with the heavyweight hardware. We spoke with some of the experts to discuss who comes out on top in the fight.

Mario Lopez, actor and co-host of The 3 Knockdown Rule: I’m going to go with Fury. I think the first fight he was coming off a long layoff and had only two bouts under his belt, and he had to lose a lot of weight. He’s going to be very well prepared. He’s obviously very aware of that right hand and the damage it can do. I’m a little concerned about the trainer change at the last minute. But at the same time, Wilder goes out there and catches him in the first couple of rounds, and I wouldn’t be surprised either (laughs). It’s a 50-50 fight.

Prediction: Tyson Fury

Tim Bradley, ESPN analyst and former welterweight champion: I got Deontay Wilder by knockout. I think he’s going to knock out Tyson Fury before the 10th round. The reason I have him winning is that in the first fight, he didn’t have his right hand. He didn’t use it for about four and half weeks. The fact that Tyson Fury boxes as well as he did the first time around and still got caught with two right hands, he went down but he got up. I think that Deontay Wilder has found his mark. This isn’t Round 1, it’s Round 13 and Deontay Wilder can start where he left off at (and) bring that intensity and come in there and fight with two hands instead of one. I think he’ll eventually catch Tyson Fury again with the right hand or left hook, and I think he’s going to put him down. And this time I don’t see him getting up. 

Prediction: Deontay Wilder by knockout 

Shawn Porter, Fox Sports analyst and former welterweight champion: Deontay Wilder winning by knockout. However, if it goes to a decision, I have Tyson Fury winning a decision. I’m not going to pick one fighter.

Prediction: Pick 'em

Andreas Hale, DAZN News/Sporting News: When the first fight was ruled a draw, I figured that Tyson Fury had seen everything he needed to know and would make a rematch with Deontay Wilder easier. However, with both fighters having two fights under their belt since then, it dawned on me that Wilder is still learning new things. Specifically, how to be patient. Against Luis Ortiz, Wilder opted to prod and poke until the opening he needed presented itself. This was a huge departure from Wilder vs. Fury, where "The Bronze Bomber" headhunted and sought the knockout early and often. There’s a path to victory for Fury where he smothers Wilder and uses his weight advantage to lean on the WBC champion in hopes of wearing him down. Unfortunately, all fights start at a distance and Wilder will eventually find his opening that puts Fury down and out. Fury woke up last time. If that huge bomb connects, he’ll be lucky to wake up before the 10 count. Patience and movement will be key for Wilder, but I think Jay Deas has done enough to add the proper wrinkles to his game to finish his opponent off.

Prediction: Deontay Wilder by TKO

Dan Rafael, ESPN.com: As Wilder often says, his opponent needs to be perfect for the entire fight, and he only needs to be perfect for two seconds — the time it takes for him to land his massive right hand that is the best in boxing and maybe the best in history. Wilder surely will be outboxed for stretches against Fury, who has great skills, but at some point Wilder is going to find a home for the big shot. He did in the first fight, dropping Fury twice. Fury miraculously survived a thunderous knockdown in the 12th round, but this time when Wilder floors him it will be for good.    

Prediction: Deontay Wilder by highlight-reel KO in the later rounds

Mark Lelinwalla, DAZN News/Sporting News: I see Tyson Fury asserting the jab from the first round and using his weight advantage to lean on Deontay Wilder to set the tone for this rematch. It won't take long for the "Gypsy King" to start outboxing Wilder once again, just as he did in their initial fight. That includes tagging "The Bronze Bomber" at will, while making him miss badly at points as well. Conventional wisdom says Fury should win based off that first performance. But like their initial clash, I believe Wilder will catch Fury with that massive right hand and drop him with a thud. Only this time around, Fury won't beat the count.

Prediction: Deontay Wilder by 12th-round KO

Diego M. Morilla, The Ring en español: If this had been a personality contest, then my prediction would have been the opposite, and at an earlier round. Fury is the one champ in the entire boxing landscape I would pick to have a beer and take a million selfies with. But this is heavyweight boxing, the one corner of the sporting universe where your smile and your ability to sell shoes and overpriced apparell is irrelevant, and a place in which you only need to be perfect for one fraction of one second to achieve superiority and (on a long-enough timeline) immortality. Wilder has proven capable of achieving the former in 41 separate ocassions, and is on his way to seriously testing his ability to achieve the latter. Fury will not be just another stepping stone on his way to the boxing pantheon, though. He's as tough as they come, as motivated as Wilder has ever been, and perfectly capable of scoring what in my mind would be a mild upset. But the chances of Wilder finding the perfect spot and the perfect moment to land one of his trademark bombs are simply too high for me to put my money on the "Gypsy King." This time, Wilder gets it right, and moves on to a mega showdown against Anthony Joshua with another highlight-reel one-punch stoppage.

Prediction: Deontay Wilder def. Tyson Fury by ninth-round knockout

Steven Muehlhausen, DAZN News/Sporting News: Let's be honest. Deontay Wilder isn't going to win a classic boxing match. He needs to use the jab to set up the right hand or the evolving left hook, which has become a primary weapon in his last four fights. If he can feint and set everything up for the right hand, then it will be lights out. All Wilder needs is a tiny opening. You give him an inch, and he'll take the mile and put you out of your misery. 

Fury is going to learn the mistakes from the first time around and take the route he took when he captured three heavyweight titles and ended the reign of Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. He used a great jab, exceptional footwork, and kept Klitschko guessing throughout. He's going to force Wilder to try and fight outside his element. Doing so will allow Fury to dictate the pace and coast to a comfortable victory and end Wilder's incredible run.

Prediction: Tyson Fury by unanimous decision

Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com: There is definitely something to Wilder's claim that his opponents need to be perfect for 12 rounds whereas he just needs two seconds and one right hand to end any given fight. That said, such blessed power can also be a curse if he enters the rematch believing it will bail him out of any situation. I don't believe Fury will be perfect for 12 rounds, but I do believe he will dull down the action long enough to avoid the sort of bombs that nearly put him out last time around. In that sense, I see a repeat of the first fight, sans the dramatic late-round knockdowns. Decision will once again be disputed, which of course will prompt part three later this year. 

Prediction: Tyson Fury via decision 

Kelsey McCarron, BleacherReport.com: Wilder is a supreme athlete with awesome and terrible power, but Fury's leveled up since the first fight and will be much better equipped in the rematch to box the whole 12 rounds. Besides, Fury still managed to outbox Wilder in the first fight anyway. Sure, Wilder scored the two knockdowns and maybe eked out a round or two beyond those at most, but Fury was clearly the better boxer that night. He won't showboat near as much in his fight. That lesson was learned. He's in great shape. He's younger. He brought in an expert training team. I think he's set himself up nicely to turn in the single best performance of his career on Saturday night. 

Prediction: Tyson Fury by unanimous decision

Carlos Toro, Fightful.com: This is truly a fascinating fight to pick. It's not often that you get to have a fight where you can legitimately make a strong case for either boxer winning. Fury, who many believe to be the better boxer, should have won the first fight on the scorecards, according to many, but Wilder's power, especially in his right hand, is downright devastating. Any perceived lack of boxing fundamentals (and I believe Wilder is underrated in that regard) is hardly a problem for Wilder as his power more than makes up for it. However, it should be noted that Wilder doesn't have the greatest track record in the world winning rounds when he's not seriously hurting guys or knocking them out.

I think Wilder will drop Fury at least once in this rematch. It's almost impossible to not expect that from Wilder at this point. The question is: Can Fury get back up from being knocked down again? Do I think Wilder could knock Fury out? Absolutely. However, Fury's proven to be tough enough to withstand punishment in the ring and I think Fury, under the tutelage of new trainer SugarHill Steward, will have a smarter gameplan this time around and find a way to win rounds a little more convincingly than in the first fight. Fury's already proven that he can find ways to tag Wilder and go the distance against him, and we're not expecting a fundamentally different version of Wilder come February 22. It won't be an easy fight for either of them, but I think Fury is better prepared for the rematch compared to the first fight.

Prediction: Tyson Fury by decision