There is a deafening din of excitement coming out of Deontay Wilder’s training camp in Miami. All the reports you read will exclaim with great enthusiasm that Wilder is in the shape of his life and now ready to right the wrongs and beat Tyson Fury in their third fight. In fact, you won’t find anyone more bullish about Wilder’s upcoming chances than Nigerian-born fighter Raphael Akpejiori.
The 29-year-old heavyweight has a close relationship with Wilder and perhaps the best way of describing their relationship is that he sees the Alabaman as a mentor of sorts. Indeed, the Nigerian is set to spar with the American before he gets in the ring with Fury. So, there’s no reason to distrust his description of the Bronze Bomber as he is very much in the loop with the ongoings of Team Wilder.
Akpejiori’s been talking up a Wilder storm
To say that Akpejiori is impressed with Wilder’s current training regime would be an understatement of some degree. The Nigerian describes the 34-year-old boxer as being in ‘amazing physical shape’ and warns of what is to come for Fury when they meet in December. Not holding back, Akpejiori says “based on what I know, the only person that can beat Deontay right now, is Deontay.”
That is a poignant statement from a man who considers himself to be Wilder’s protege and one that would have not been lost on the global boxing community. It will light the flame under the narrative that Wilder’s backbreaking work in the gym will present a new problem for Fury which will ultimately prove to be insurmountable. Thanks to Akpejiori, that flame of doubt will soon become a furnace and result in the world being ready to believe that it only ever took a well-toned Wilder to beat Tyson Fury after all.
This is another exaggerated narrative that is dominating the headlines and won’t surprise anyone in the build-up to the latest blockbuster fight. After all, the promoters do have to sell a fight to the public to capture their attention. It’s an age-old practice and boxing isn’t the only combat sport where this happens, MMA is renowned for this too. Indeed, any fight with Conor McGregor, for instance, attracts huge attention from the latest breaking subplots to all the MMA betting sites offering free bets and dividing fans on the mega-fight in question. No doubt there will be a frenzy of attention and promotions aplenty as the bout draws nearer.
So, with this type of strategy in mind, you can take Akpejiori’s utterances with the pinch of salt that they require. Although the Nigerian is not trying to promote the fight himself and has nothing to gain from it, he has set the tone for what is to be expected over the next few months. But, if you were to put his comments under cross-examination, you’d find that they don’t stand up.
It’s all hot air
Of course, Wilder isn’t a hyped-up American heavyweight, he is a man in excellent shape and is to be feared – but the question has to be, when hasn’t the 34-year-old looked the picture of athleticism? In fact, Wilder was three stone lighter than Fury during their second bout after tipping the scales at 16st 7lbs, Fury, meanwhile, came in at 19st 7lbs. Furthermore, if you were to look at a picture of the two during the weight-in, it is Wilder who boasts a more defined and muscular body by some distance.
Arguing that Wilder will be more of a threat because he has spent a few productive months in the gym is at best, clutching at straws. The American has always been in phenomenal shape, indeed, it’s rather his inability to match Fury’s boxing genius that separates the two.
There is a reason that Wilder looks dead on his feet in the ring against Fury, and it’s not because he hasn’t spent enough time in the gym. Rather, it’s due to the fact that he can’t land any punches on him. The Englishman slips and slides around the ring and in many respects, it would be easier for Widler to hit the bogeyman than it is Fury. He isn’t the first to encounter this problem and won’t be the last.
Simply put, Fury is in a different league to Wilder, and no amount of time spent lifting weights will bridge the gulf in class that divides them.