Tyson Fury Claims When He Looks At Deontay Wilder He Doesn’t See A Bad Man, He Sees A Pretender

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s last encounter before they get in the ring on Saturday wasn’t a pretty one, with the two unbeaten fighters trading verbal blows like their lives depended upon it.

Tempers flared like a solar storm when the two heavyweights went eyeball to eyeball at Los Angeles’ Staples Center ahead of their WBC Heavyweight showdown.

In the blue corner you have the “Bronze Bomber,” and in the red corner you have the “Gypsy King.” And at their most recent press conference, the months of bubbling tension poured over and gave everyone a taste of just how incendiary the feeling is between these two men from different sides of the pond.

Fury’s a past master at rattling his opponent’s cage, and Wilder sure lost his studied cool when he snapped in the Gypsy King’s face.

“You say your people having been fighting for 200 years? My people have been fighting for 400 years.”

Fury has been extremely vocal in the past regarding his gypsy heritage. In 2016, the boxer said that he believed there was “hatred for travelers and Gypsies around the world,” and there was a “witch hunt” against him because of his background.

At the press conference however, Fury was keen to play down Wilder’s comments about “your people” and “my people.”

CNN reports that Fury said he didn’t think the fight should be turned into a battle of races or a battle of cultures. He maintained the two fighters should rise above that and they’re fighting for “the most gentlemanly, prized, heavyweight championship of the world.”

He also accused Wilder of playing dirty tricks by screaming and shouting such things in his face.

“He started with all the ‘400 years of pain’ and all this. He must think that’s going to get in my mind, ‘Oh he’s had 400 years of pain, I won’t fight him on Saturday night because he’s had 400 years of pain.’ Well, my people have been persecuted for thousands of years. Let’s not go there.

“This isn’t a battle of who’s been persecuted longest. This is a battle between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. It’s not a battle of races or cultures.”

For added effect, Fury also said there’s no two ways about it. Wilder, who he describes as a “pretender,” is getting knocked out by him on Saturday night.

“I’m telling you now, Wilder is getting knocked out by me on Saturday night. The whole world will know him as the person who Fury knocked out.

“This swagger is not genuine, it’s fake – a snide and a fraud. I look at him and don’t see a bad man, I see a pretender.”

Meanwhile the Bronze Bomber believes it’ll be him who knocks Fury out.

“I will knock Tyson Fury out. They say I’m the puncher and he’s the boxer but the same thing was said when I beat Stiverne. I’m going to show you how well I can box. He will go down.”

It’s safe to say all bets are off come Saturday, but one thing’s for sure, with these two aptly named pugilists on the bill, it’s going to be both wild and furious.