There was a lot of controversy surrounding the finish of the first fight, but that really isn’t the case for the rematch. As we mentioned two days ago in our prediction, anything can happen when it comes to boxing, especially heavyweight boxing. I said that the second least likely finish behind a Wilder win by decision was a Fury finish, but Tyson walked into that ring with a point to prove. He is the greatest heavyweight of this era.
This is a fight that I’ve been waiting for, but at the same time, I don’t want to happen. Why? You have two of the best boxers in the world who are the two best heavyweight boxers. Joshua lost his claim with his loss to Ruiz and his rematch actually removed him further from that conversation. How? His mystique of greatness had been entirely taken away from him. His confidence was shook to the core and the whole world saw it. While he outboxed Ruiz, Joshua lost confidence in his ability as a fighter, which is why he changed his style so dramatically.
That is not the case with these two.
They both still have that shroud of greatness over them and when someone falls tomorrow, they’ll lose that aura. Sure, it will leave us with one undisputed champion of the world, but one of the greatest boxing personalities of the past decade will surely begin to fade away. Now, obviously, that all depends on the finish. While anything can happen in a boxing match, especially a heavyweight boxing match, I’d say that this fight ends one of two ways, 9 out of 10 times.
Wilder by KO.
or
Fury by decision.
Deontay is my favorite boxer in the world. Currently, with GSP’s inactivity, he is my favorite fighter in the world. He is exactly that… a fighter. I’ll quickly admit that Fury is a better boxer, but Deontay’s knockout power is on an entirely different level. I’m shocked that Fury rose in the 12th in their last fight. It almost seemed like some form of divine intervention, but lightning doesn’t strike twice. If Deontay floors him again, he won’t get up, especially with an extra 20 lbs of pure muscle packed on his frame. If, however, Fury has an absolutely flawless fight and avoids any knockout punches, he will absolutely beat him by decision, probably somewhere around 9 rounds to 3, or so.
Again, anything can happen, but they’d probably need to fight 20 times before Fury knocks out Deontay. They’d probably need to fight 40 times before Deontay beats Fury by decision, especially with Fury looking in such great shape. Deontay could knock him out at any point, but I think somewhere around the 9th or 10th round is most likely. Fury’s conditioning looks good, but a certain level of fatigue is inevitable and just like in the Ortiz rematch, it only takes a second. Deontay will wait a whole fight for one second.
Either way, I’ll recognize the winner of this fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Joshua would be looking up to them, not the other way around. That does, to some degree, depend on the nature of the finish but as I mentioned, I don’t see many outcomes other than those two. Sure, you can argue that despite standing Fury shouldn’t have been allowed to continue in the last fight but Jack Reese probably made the right call there, especially with Fury outboxing him the whole match. I was alright with the draw decision, but it certainly shouldn’t happen again.
I hope Deontay wins, but it really is 50/50 going into the fight, in terms of who will win. That is heavyweight boxing. I think Fury would have an easier time continuing his career with a loss than Deontay would because his legacy is stronger. Deontay needs this win by KO and then a win by KO over Joshua to really push himself into that upper echelon of heavyweight boxing names. His knockout percentage might be the best of all time, but he really needs more wins over bigger names.
It’d be nice if the rest of the card was a bit more exciting, but I’d gladly pay for the PPV just for this main event.
BOMBZQUAD!
(Photo credit: AP)
Guest post from Peter Wise
We all know how difficult it can be to stay healthy when you’re on holiday, surrounded by exotic cuisine and relying on fast food to keep you going. Just because Las Vegas is synonymous with long buffet lines of overweight Americans and hideous burger joints doesn’t mean you can’t find a sumptuous and healthy spread.
Spago – 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Wolfgang Puck’s “Seasonal American” restaurant was at the forefront of cuisine in Las Vegas, and has been a success since its opening in 1992. The Californian cuisine style menu boasts organic produce with daily changes to the offerings, depending on current organic produce. In terms of health food, the Spago has a vegetarian tasting menu and many seafood options for a healthier alternative to a high-class meal, easily located outside of the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
(http://www.bestofvegas.com/Restaurants/Canyon-Ranch-Cafe-Venetian-Las-Vegas-SpaClub/)
Canyon Ranch Cafe – 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Between 7am and 6pm daily, the cafe in the Canyon Ranch Spa serves a host of healthy foods at comparatively moderate prices, for the Strip. They have smoothies, healthy teas, organic produce and healthy alternatives to main meals like turkey meatloaf, although they do have some awfully tempting-looking Mexican food, wraps and burgers. It’s an excellent opportunity to get away from the neon lights and crowds for a little while.
Go Raw Cafe – 2381 East Windmill Lane #18, Las Vegas, NV 89123 or 2910 Lake East Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89117
If only vegetarian and vegan will do, try out one of the locations of Go Raw, either on the East of the city at the Smiths Shopping Centre, or out West at the Lakes Centre, where the cafe overlooks Lake Sahara. The salad bar looks incredible and they always have fresh and organic fruit; the main downside is that it’s a little further out of the Strip, so it might be an idea to visit an online casino on your phone while out there soaking up some sunlight and sipping tasty veggie juices and healthy smoothies.
(http://raw-radiance.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/go-raw-cafe-las-vegas.html)
Cypress Street Marketplace – Caesars Palace Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89109
A remarkable adaptation of a food court, casual dining takes place here underneath the cypress trees inside Caesars Palace, and is based on the theme of a “picnic in the park”. As you might expect there is a huge range of speciality food cuisines, all of which are value-oriented, but the most healthy options include the much loved Romaine Course which allows you to build your own vegetarian garden salad and Ah So, which sells healthy noodle soups, sushi and wok dishes.
(http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/cypress-street-market-place.html#.UwNbQ4XKg7A)
B&B Ristorante – 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
An authentic experience, the B&B Ristorante is owned by the renowned celebrity chef Mario Batalio and imports its organic items from Italy – whether that’s a good or a bad thing is up to you. There are plenty of healthy meat and seafood dishes on the menu, as well as a few options for a salad if you treated yourself to a fast food burger earlier on.
It’s very rare nowadays to find a restaurant that doesn’t at least have a vegetarian option, which is always a handy fail-safe if you want to eat healthily. But the next time you’re in Las Vegas, try out one of these options for a guaranteed delicious experience that won’t send you to the gym out of guilt.
