Tyson Fury has reached out to Deontay Wilder after raising concerns over the state of his mental health.
Heavyweight knockout-artist Wilder has been continuously airing bizarre theories as to why he lost to Tyson Fury in their rematch, giving no hard evidence for their validity.
Undefeated world heavyweight champion Fury today gave an interview to This Morning, in response.
"I'm worried for Wilder's mental health," Fury began.
"There has to be a point where you accept defeat, move on. He's coming out with ludicrous statements.
I'm only a phone call away and if I can help in any way then I would give him the best advice I can
To fully understand the importance and relevance of Fury’s statement and offer, one must look back at the recent history of both Fury and Wilder.
Fight 1- the Resurrection
The much anticipated first fight between these two giants of the heavyweight division came on the back of Fury’s stunning comeback in the battle against his mental health difficulties.
Suffering from severe depression, Fury lost his appetite for boxing and became lost in an attempt to paper over the widening cracks in his life. He turned to excessive partying, heavy drinking, and drugs, and damaged himself physically and mentally.
He physically became almost unrecognizable in this time, and a return to boxing at the highest level seemed an impossibility.
One night, Fury found himself driving at high speed in his car, ready to hit a bridge to release himself from his demons. Thankfully, his faith and family outfought the depression and a major turning point in his life occurred.
This incident breathed new life into him, giving him renewed motivation and setting him on a staggering comeback trail.
His fitness levels on his return were arguably the best they’ve ever been. Taking into consideration the events of the previous three years, Fury accepted his biggest challenge yet, in the form of the undefeated knock-out artist Deontay Wilder.
The first fight went perhaps how boxing purists expected, but not as the general public did. Fury outboxed Wilder, using his superior boxing skills to largely evade the outrageous knockout power in Wilder’s electric right arm.
This bout ended in a draw, albeit a highly controversial one, with boxing analysts for the most part claiming a Fury victory.
Fight 2- the Rematch
In the rematch, Fury dominated Wilder from start to finish. Before the bout, Fury claimed he would go on the offensive.
This seemed unlikely as it would increase the risk of him being hit by one of Wilder’s knock-out punches, and went against Fury’s history of being a technical, defensive fighter, not known for knockouts himself.
However, Fury once again proved everyone wrong, pushing Wilder back at every opportunity, and Wilder’s trainer eventually threw in the towel.
Wilder’s Excuses
In the time since the second bout, Wilder has made many outlandish claims, including; the ref was biased, his water was spiked, the costume he wore for his entrance was too heavy and tired him out, Fury had placed a foreign object in his gloves to cause greater damage, that he had an injured bicep, and his that his trainer threw in the towel unnecessarily.
Wilder’s decision to sack his trainer for throwing in the towel, was largely condemned within the boxing community.
Perhaps a trainer’s most important job is to protect the life of the fighter, especially when their ego and their will to fight to the end get in the way of making a logical decision. It was clear to the majority of observers that Wilder was badly hurt, and his trainer’s actions may have saved his life.
It should not come as a huge surprise that the alpha male mentality of Wilder is unable to accept that there is someone who can better him at boxing so convincingly.
However, a truly great champion should be able to accept the obvious flaws in their game, to improve and come back stronger next time. Fury’s comments in response to the latest of Wilder’s excuses, looks at the situation with a different approach.
Fury’s own struggles with mental health and the aspects of his and Wilder’s lives that are similar- growing up in the macho world of boxing and both being world champions- gives Fury a rare insight into the thought process of Wilder.
Few Wilder fans would surely even entertain Wilder’s comments, so this clearly delves into the realms of delusion, perhaps in part caused by depression. For the sake of Wilder, we must hope Wilder takes up Fury’s offer.