Deontay Wilder is already looking to remedy some of the problems he has recognised in his controversial draw with Tyson Fury at the beginning of December.
Most felt that Fury had outboxed Wilder and deserved to leave Los Angeles’ Staples Centre with the WBC heavyweight title around his waist but two judges didn’t agree, with one giving ‘The Bronze Bomber’ a lopsided win and the other unable to separate the unbeaten rivals.
Talks are expected to get underway this week to negotiate a rematch after the WBC sanctioned a second clash and Fury is back in the gym looking to keep his weight down for his next crack at Wilder’s belt.
Weight was a significant talking point in the run-up to the initial bout, with Fury dropping almost 150lbs since re-committing himself to boxing and Wilder weighing in at 212.5lbs on the eve of his title defence, a result which ‘The Gypsy King’ found hilarious.
Fury got a great kick out of that https://t.co/41pCZcWdSZ
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 1, 2018
In a rare and bizarre quirk, Wilder actually weighed in lighter on fight night than he did on the official scales but the American is hoping to put on some mass before the rematch.
“We’re going to adjust the weight,” Wilder recently confirmed, via Boxing Scene. “We’re going to do a lot of things. You know, especially with the weight. Because these guys have out-weighed me the majority of my career. I never worried about weight because I have the power to substitute for it. I have devastating power that these guys don’t have. So I never worried about weight, because I felt like weight is just an image.
“At the end of the day, how many times, over and over again, have guys out-weighed me and they were left on their back? None of them could put me on my back, being so [light] of a fighter. That’ll just tell you everything. These guys can’t put me on the ground, but I can put them on the ground, and I know that.”
Wilder, who carries very little body fat and has never weighed more than 229lbs, also revealed his goal weight and it just so happens to match Fury’s career-lowest.
“My goal was always to be 245lbs,” Wilder said. “That’s what my goal has always been. But somebody’s going to get hurt.
“If weight brings big-man power, and I already had the power and the speed, somebody’s going to get hurt. So if people wanna see me put on weight and someone get hurt, then so be it. But you never want to see no one like Adonis Stevenson. I’m always thinking about him and I tell people all the time – we risk our lives in the ring. We risk our lives. And I know I have the power to hurt anyone – anyone.”
