On Saturday, February 22, 2020, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will square off in a highly-anticipated rematch in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Former Heavyweight champion Charles Martin and former title challenger Gerald Washington meet in the co-main event, while unbeaten Super Welterweight fighters Sebastian Fundora and Daniel Lewis will fight in the PPV opener at 9:00 pm, ET/6:00 pm, PT.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing‘s staff predictions for Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2, Charles Martin vs. Gerald Washington and Sebastian Fundora vs. Daniel Lewis.
Sebastian Fundora vs. Daniel Lewis
R.L. Woodson, Contributing Writer
Sebastian Fundora towers over another Super Welterweight opponent.
Daniel Lewis doesn’t have enough experience to overcome Fundora’s height and reach advantages, and he gets stopped in the second half of the fight.
Prediction: Fundora by Knockout
Robert Contreras, Staff Writer
Though too often sucked in firefights, Sebastian Fundora has remained clean so far.
He’ll see himself through his fight against Daniel Lewis too. Fundora by unanimous decision.
Prediction: Fundora by Decision
Hans Themistode, Staff Writer
Both guys aren’t exactly title contenders, but it’s really hard to ignore the height advantage and reach advantage of Sebastian Fundora.
Daniel Lewis is simply going to have too many issues getting on the inside. Give me Fundora in this spot
Prediction: Fundora by Knockout
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Sebastian Fundora doesn’t mind giving up his height in a fight. It’ll be to his detriment if he stays in the trenches with Daniel Lewis who can bang to the body.
I’ll take Lewis by decision in a close fight.
Prediction: Lewis by Decision
Charles Martin vs. Gerald Washington
R.L. Woodson, Contributing Writer
Charles Martin is the younger, heavier fighter, and he briefly held a world title.
Gerald Washington might get out to the better start, but Martin should win more rounds in an attempt to fully redeem his short-lived time as a champion. Martin will win by decision.
Prediction: Martin by Decision
Robert Contreras, Staff Writer
Gerald Washington is no spring chicken and he’s been cracked before. Punching is just what Charles Martin does best. Martin by TKO.
Prediction: Martin by Knockout
Hans Themistode, Staff Writer
Charles Martin and Gerald Washington aren’t world beaters, but they are decent fighters. Washington at 37 is pretty long in the tooth.
Say what you want about Martin, but he was a former champ. Give me the former belt holder.
Prediction: Martin by Decision
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
This is a tough one. Although Charles Martin briefly held the IBF title, he didn’t defeat any champion (the belt was vacant) to win it. He was basically gifted the strap after Vyacheslav Glazkov’s knee fell apart.
Anyway, my point is that I don’t rate Martin any higher than Gerald Washington for that weak title reign.
I think Washington will score a knockout in the middle rounds.
Prediction: Washington by Knockout
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury
R.L. Woodson, Contributing Writer
Tyson Fury’s looked and sounded better during fight week.
The Gypsy King weighed in at 273 pounds which raises questions about his conditioning, and whether the extra weight will affect his mobility.
Deontay Wilder will enter the ring at his highest weight of 231 pounds. Wilder by KO9.
Prediction: Wilder by Knockout
Robert Contreras, Staff Writer
Tyson Fury was walking away on points before being felled in the waning moments of their first go-around.
He avoids the American’s power this time. Fury by unanimous decision.
Prediction: Fury by Decision
Hans Themistode, Staff Writer
If we’re being fair here, Tyson Fury should already have picked up the win the first time.
He’s the better boxer and seems to be more resilient when it matters the most.
Deontay Wilder is a great fighter and he doesn’t get enough credit, but give me Fury. He just has more ways of winning.
Prediction: Fury by Decision
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
How can you not be excited for this fight? Well, one way is if you buy into the Teddy Atlas narrative that Tyson Fury is psychology a mess.
Atlas has argued that the extra weight that Fury has put on is a clear sign that he’s going to check out early.
While I don’t necessarily agree with that, I think it’s clear to see that the game plan for Fury will not be the same as the first fight. I think Fury will look to keep things close, lean on Wilder, and make it an ugly fight.
What’s the benefit of that? Well, if he’s being smothered the whole fight then Wilder can’t get off those long, powerful one-two combinations that have ended so many fights before.
Will it work for Fury? There is a very good possibility that it will as Fury is no stranger to inside work and making his opponents uncomfortable by holding and grabbing. It’s not fun to watch, but it is effective.
The thing with Wilder is that all he needs is two seconds to change the whole fight. I think he’ll find his two seconds against Fury on Saturday night and end things before the final bell.
Prediction: Wilder by Knockout
Round By Round Boxing Staff Predictions - 2020
| Name | Win | Loss | Total Fights | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Burgos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Hans Themistode | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.66666666666667 |
| R.L. Woodson | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Robert Contreras | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
