A furious Tyson Fury has vowed to knock out Deontay Wilder, when the two rivals meet for the third time on Sunday (NZ time) at Las Vegas, with the Briton's WBC heavyweight title on the line.
The undefeated Fury (30-0-1), who battled Wilder (42-1-1) to a draw in 2018, before taking the belt from the American 20 months ago, was the aggressor in Thursday's press conference, repeatedly berating the former champion.
"You're a weak man and you're getting knocked out," said Fury, who wore a colorful suit, with a pattern of WBC belts, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"Your legacy will be in tatters... torn to bits... finished," he added, during a particularly heated back-and-forth near the end of the event, which led organisers to call off a planned face-off for the cameras.
Fury was particularly bothered by Wilder's claims that the 'Gypsy King' cheated in their last meeting by illegally tampering with his gloves before the seventh-round stoppage.
Sunday's fight was scheduled for July 25, before Fury's positive COVID-19 test forced a postponement.
Fury welcomed a baby girl nearly two months ago, but she had to be placed into the hospital's intensive care unit. He spent two weeks by her side, before she came home.
"I knew if I got that hurdle out of the way, things would be good and I could concentrate on the fight," he said. "Daddy's just got to do his job, that's it."
Sporting a blood red tracksuit with the words 'Eye for an eye' written on it in Russian, Wilder appeared more relaxed, saying he had "nothing to lose and everything to gain" in the fight.
"I'm in a great place, a great state of mind," Wilder said. "There's nothing to prove at all.
"This right here is redemption, retaliation and retribution."
Wilder's trainer, Malik Scott, said the two have been working to expand the knockout artist's toolbox, while Fury's trainer, Sugar Hill Steward, said their focus has been on fine-tuning the "already exceptional" Fury.
The winner is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the other three world titles, for a chance to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis 21 years ago.
Reuters.
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