Deontay Wilder names Tyson Fury best heavyweight on the planet 

Deontay Wilder names Tyson Fury best heavyweight on the planet 

Deontay Wilder has labelled Tyson Fury the best heavyweight on the planet – despite recently doubling down on his comments that the Brit cheated in their bouts.

Fury, 34, defeated Wilder twice in a little over a year to cement his place in the pantheon of heavyweight greats after a trilogy of bouts that captured the hearts and minds of boxing fans around the globe.

None of the three fights passed without controversy, with both fighters regularly taking pops at the other. This culminated in Wilder telling Fury he would never respect him at the end of their third and final bout in October last year.

However, speaking to Showtime Sport’s The Last Stand ahead of his return to the ring against Robert Helenius next month, Wilder offered a surprise name when asked who the best heavyweight on the planet was.

‘I’ll go with Fury,’ he responded to a question asking who was better out of the Mancunian or Oleksandr Usyk.

Wilder’s assessment of the heavyweight landscape might come as a surprise to many, particularly considering his doubling down on accusations that Fury cheated during their trilogy of bouts between December 2018 and October 2021.

‘Nah, never, because I know the truth behind that,’ he told FightHype when asked if he’d ever be amicable with Fury.

‘I don’t condone cheating and s*** like that. I know that, no matter what people say.

‘People and analysts say, “If he did have something in his glove, why did you not go to the authorities?”

‘I wish I was in front of them. I would grab their collar and put them close to my face so we can be eye-to-eye, face-to-face, so much that my breath would touch their face.

‘And I would tell them, “Why the f*** would I go to the authorities when I have an opportunity to release my own energy and put my hands upon him and the possibility of trying to kill him and get paid millions of dollars doing it?”‘

‘Why would I go to the authorities?,’ he queried.

‘Ok I go to the authorities, they lock him up, then what’s next? That’s it.

‘A good write-up. Okay, we proved our case. Nobody getting fed. What justice has that done? That don’t make no sense.

‘That sounds like somebody that’s non-confrontational, not in combat sports because their mindset ain’t set on combat, it’s set on being nice — that don’t even make sense to me.

‘We are in the hurt business. This is what we do. I can hurt you and get paid doing it. That sounds like a sweet deal to me.’

The American was badly hurt, physically and mentally, by his latest defeat to Fury.

Following the bout, Wilder faced widespread criticism from the boxing fraternity for refusing to shake Fury’s hand and show the better fighter respect in the aftermath of the third – and likely final – fight.

‘I just said to him “well done” and he said “I don’t want to show any sportsman ship or respect.” I just said “no problem”,’ Fury revealed to BT Sport after his win in Las Vegas last year.

‘He’s a sore loser and idiot. Do you know what, to be a top fighting man you’ve got to show guts and respect.

‘He couldn’t do that tonight and that was it. 100 per cent [would have been nice for him to say well done] but it’s up to him.

‘I’m just thankful, we get out of the fight in one piece and we go home to our lovely families.’

Meanwhile, Wilder has since mooted the idea of a fourth fight between the two.

Asked about the prospect of stepping into the ring once again with Fury, Wilder said: ‘Most definitely. As long as he’s in the business and I’m in the business it’s inevitable. Unless him or I doesn’t want it.

‘Or if he can’t be allowed to go a certain place, because there’s a lot of things going on with him right now – I don’t want to discuss it, it ain’t none of my business. If he’s in the business and able to participate in it, of course.’

Fury, however, looks set to finally face fellow British heavyweight Anthony Joshua in a long-anticipated Battle of Britain clash. Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, revealed on Wednesday that the bout was ’90 per cent’ done with a December 3 date already penciled in.