Giant Heavyweights Wilder and Fury Start a Rumpus at L.A. Press Confab

LOS ANGELES-They may be giants.

The human Sequoias known as Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury showed up Wednesday at the Novo Theater at LA Live to hype their upcoming world title clash. A pair of taller heavyweight title challengers does not exist.

It was the third leg of their three-day press junket spanning from London to New York City to the city of Angels.

Angels they are not.

WBC heavyweight titlist Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) pits his trinket against lineal heavyweight champion Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) on Dec. 1, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Their clash will be televised on Showtime pay-per-view.

These guys are extremely tall.

When you look at them side by side it’s easy to imagine them starting on the L.A. Lakers who play at the Staples Center. Both are the size and girth of power forwards. But these two pack a serious wallop.

Wilder has only failed to knock out one opponent in his career – Bermane Stiverne. The second time they met he connected with a punch so hard families in Stiverne’s native Haiti were in prayer for the fallen fighter. He recovered.

Fury became the lineal champion when he defeated the vaunted champion Wladimir Klitschko by decision back in 2015. The win snapped a nine-year winning streak by the Ukrainian.

The term “lineal champion” was coined years ago when the heavyweight title was split into different claimants. It means the owner of the title is a direct descendant of the very first heavyweight champion in the modern era John L. Sullivan, after the Marquess of Queensberry rules were adopted.

It’s a title often lost in the milieu of championships.

Back in the 19^th century the very first world championship belt was given to Sullivan who held the heavyweight title until 1892, when he was given his first defeat by San Francisco’s Gentleman Jim Corbett. It was a thin ribbon-type belt with a metal buckle. It still exists today.

When Corbett lost the title it was passed on to Bob Fitzsimmons and his solar plexus punch. He in turn lost to Southern California’s Jim Jeffries of Burbank, a small suburb located in the county of Los Angeles. That same title has been passed on and on and now Great Britain’s Fury holds the lineal title.

The boisterous Fury dangles the phrase like a sword.

“I’m the lineal champion. That goes back to John L. Sullivan,” said Fury, 30. “(Deontay) says he’s a knockout puncher I don’t believe it at all. He’s a dreamer.”

Wilder admits that Fury could possibly be the best he’s faced but nothing else.

“He’s among the best and he was a champion two years ago,” said Wilder, 32, whose yellow and black shirt helped him stand out. “He’s named after Mike Tyson. He’s from another country. That’s all going to be more pleasing when I knock him out.”

Scrum

During the war of words on the theater stage the two massive heavyweights got too close and both exploded into a shoving contest that saw chairs flying and boxing manager Shelly Finkel tossed to the floor like a paper cup.

Luckily no physical damage occurred except for some bent folding chairs.

For about 10 minutes the two shouted challenges and insults while two dozen men held them from possible injury before the fight.

“I’m ready now,” shouted Wilder.

“I’ve been ready for a month,” replied Fury. “Let’s fight this weekend.”

Poor Finkel looked like he may have injured something when he rolled over a fallen folded chair. The advisor for Wilder looked excited but conscious.

Chin Tests

Fury said he will be training nearby in Big Bear, Calif. for this heavyweight showdown. He added that training in Southern California is needed to acclimate to the surroundings. But he also likes the setting.

“I’ve been planning to move to L.A. since 2015,” Fury said.

When you compare Wilder and Fury to heavyweights in the past its’ extremely hard to imagine either fighting someone like Joe Frazier, Ezzard Charles or Rocky Marciano who were all under six-feet tall.

Size is not enough however in the fight game.

“Deontay may be able to punch but he’s got a glass jaw,” said Fury adding that he’s seen tapes of Wilder as an amateur getting knocked out. “This is going to be the easiest fight of my career.”

Wilder openly laughs at the derisive comments.

“He’s great for the heavyweight division. He can talk,” said Wilder. “When I knock him out you all will know I knocked someone out who was fearless.”

The two giant heavyweights taunted and laughed at each other’s remarks.

Will it be the best heavyweight fight that L.A. has seen since Lennox Lewis beat Vitali Klitschko in 2003, or a misfire?

“It’s a fantasy matchup,” said Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza. “This is about legacy and this is about history.”

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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