Tyson Fury says Deontay Wilder is the best fighter he's ever faced. The heavyweight champion made this claim recently, even after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in May.
Fury's career has been filled with big moments. He knocked out Dillian Whyte, won a trilogy against Derek Chisora, and grabbed the world title from Wladimir Klitschko. But his epic three-fight series with Deontay Wilder stands out.
The 'Gypsy King' lost his unbeaten record to Usyk in a close 12-round battle for undisputed heavyweight honors. They're set to fight again in December, but now only three of the four heavyweight titles are on the line. Daniel Dubois currently holds the IBF strap.
In a chat with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, Fury explained why he rates Wilder higher than Usyk:
"He's a good boxer but no, nowhere near. I think the fights with Wilder when you're bounced off the canvas two or three times, 10 knockdowns, and at any given moment can be taken out, is much more dangerous than having a boxing match with this guy."
Wilder, known as 'The Bronze Bomber', has always been a dangerous puncher. But he's had a tough time lately. He's only won once since losing twice to Fury, scoring a quick knockout over Robert Helenius. After that, he lost on points to Joseph Parker and got stopped by Zhilei Zhang in June.
Despite these setbacks, Wilder has said he'll keep fighting.
Usyk, a former Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champion, narrowly beat Fury on points. But it seems the 'Gypsy King' still sees Wilder as the bigger threat.
