Holyfield Offers Advice To Wilder For Fury Trilogy

One of the most dominant punchers in boxing today, Deontay Wilder did not show any signs of his power when he lost to Tyson Fury back in February. Looking lost defensively, Fury ended up controlling the ring, twice knocking WIlder down. In the end, Wilder’s team threw in the towel to give Fury the TKO victory.

Since the loss, Wilder has blamed the suit he wore for his entrance. Exercising his rematch clause, Wilder is looking to do whatever it takes to get his WBC Heavyweight Title back. He has since gotten advice from past fighters, like George Foreman. Now, another former champion is looking to help him out in Evander Holyfield.

Wilder and Fury are expected to clash once more around November or December. Speaking with Boxing Scene, Holyfield discussed what Wilder didn’t do in the fight, and how he must improve when the trilogy bout comes.

“One thing that needs to happen [for Wilder in the third fight] is that he needs to keep his hands up and not to get his eardrum busted. He got hit with every shot that Tyson Fury threw. It’s almost like he was stuck in the mud,” Holyfield stated. “He swung his hands like they were too heavy. Usually, he doesn’t get hit that much. He has the energy to move around. Something had to have happened to him in the fight.”

Throughout his career, Holyfield (44-10-2, 1NC) has fought back from losses. After losing to Riddick Bowe in 1992 and relinquishing his WBA, WBC, and IBF Heavyweight TItles, Holyfield beat him a year later for the WBA and IBF Titles. The next fight after the second Bowe bout, Michael Moorer won the titles from him via majority decision. It took three years but Holyfield would win the IBF title from Moorer in 1997.

One of his most memorable moments was his two-part series against Lennon Lewis. The first fight was a draw in March 1999, with Holyfield suffering from a busted eardrum. He would then lose the rematch, but it is his resilience that was able to push him through to survive both fights. That is what he wants to see from Wilder.

“In my first fight with Lennox Lewis, he busted my eardrum. I had to pray not to quit,” Holyfield went on to say. “I was fighting someone bigger than me, and just as skillful, and didn’t have any balance. I mustered through it. But I just wanted to stop and quit. I didn’t have any firepower. If it wasn’t for my son being [in attendance], I would have just walked out. But I didn’t want for him to be teased and people say, ‘when pressure hit, he just quit.’”

A four-time heavyweight champion, Holyfield is set to return to action sometime this year for charity. While he hasn’t offered his services yet, this could be a chance for Wilder to work with Holyfield and get a better understanding of who he is as a fighter.

Will Wilder take Holyfield’s advice?