The third fight for the WBC heavyweight title between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder has taken many twists and turns to finally arrive and conclude the trilogy but hopefully, there will be a conclusive ending that satisfies everyone.
Unless Wilder wins by close decision, this should be the final meeting between two ( Should Wilder win a decision, I can definitely see a fourth fight eventually)
Both men weighed in at all-time highs for the bout (Fury at 277, Wilder 238) and while I can see Wilder trying to bulk up to combat the inside tactics of Fury, it may be a negative as Wilder should use his legs more to avoid the wrestling with Fury and the extra weight could slow him down.
Here is the issue entering this fight- Tyson Fury has fought his best either as the underdog (as against Wladimir Klitschko and Wilder I) or as the aggrieved party ( Wilder II, after receiving a draw in their first fight).
Fury hasn't always fought his best when a heavy favorite such as being dropped by former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham and escaping with a terrible cut against Otto Wallin, and the added weight and disappointment at the lost payday from Anthony Joshua's loss to Oleksandr Usyk could result in a Fury that may not be as prepared as he should be against a puncher of Wilder's caliber.
Wilder has shown he can hurt Fury but he's lost (on my card) 14 of 18 rounds against Fury, we don't know how much the second fight took out of Wilder, and Wilder has tended to fight almost meekly against fighters he respects (unless he shows he can hurt them badly).
You have to consider Fury the likely winner.
He's more versatile and the naturally bigger man but the intrigue comes with Wilder and can he land the most powerful right in the heavyweight division.
The undercard features two heavyweight fights that are very interesting to consider and both are 50/50 fights.
Adam Kownacki receives his rematch with Robert Helenius after Helenius stunned PBC with a fourth-round knockout of Kownacki in March 2020.
Had Kownacki won that fight, he would have been in position for a mandatory contender slot in the WBA ratings and he seemed to be wearing Helenius down after three exciting rounds of action before Helenius ended the fight in the fourth.
The same high rating in the WBA is on the line in the rematch and the winner should either be in line for an eventual title shot against the Fury-Wilder winner and could even fight Andy Ruiz if Fury wins and promotional issues force the winner to wait.
If Wilder wins, I could see the winner fighting Wilder in his first fight following tonight's fight, so there is a lot of on the line in what should be a rock-em-sock-em robots type affair.
The other heavyweight fight is an oddity with two undefeated heavyweights on the verge of top ten contention face off in what could see the winner take a big jump in the ratings.
Both Efe Ajagba and Frank Sanchez have shown the ability to make exciting fights and both have been in bouts that stunk the joint out but this one is an intriguing match between the big punching Ajagba and Sanchez who is more of a boxer/puncher.
The winner will likely move into some ratings with the loser starting over.
Ajagba has shown some chin vulnerability and Sanchez is the more versatile fighter, so I lean Sanchez in a difficult fight to pick.
In the afternoon from Liverpool England, former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam Smith faces Anthony Fowler in a match between two hometown fighters.
Smith is best known for his loss to Canelo Alvarez but as a former champion is trying to re-establish himself after a road decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov in Russia,
Fowler, a former Olympian, is facing his biggest test as he tries to get above the European title level.
In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 130-114.
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