Boxing: What Wilder Could Learn from Fury-Wallin

Tyson Fury needed to grind out a victory over a game opponent in Otto Wallin. This is one-half of the scenario that boxing fans are wanting prior to Fury’s rematch with Deontay Wilder.

Wilder will need to keep up his side of the bargain when he faces of against Luis Ortiz. Wilder won his first fight against Ortiz with a TKO in the ninth but it didn’t come easy. Earlier in the fight, Ortiz had Wilder in a lot of trouble before Wilder closed the show.

With a win, Wilder’s rematch with Fury will be in full swing. In the first fight, Fury dominated until the late rounds when Wilder floored the Gypsy King. Most of us are still wondering how Fury got up.

Fury’s fight with Wallin didn’t go as planned. Sure, he won the fight but that was after some tense early rounds along with a cut above his eye.

Early on Wallin was successful going to Fury’s body. It set up the shots that he would land to the head. As the fight wore on, Wallin tired and the body punches became few and far between.

We haven’t seen Wilder fight in that fashion. In the first Fury fight, Wilder wasn’t dedicated to getting inside and digging to Fury’s body. That’s understandable considering that’s not Wilder’s calling card in his wins.

If Wilder was to invoke this strategy, he would have to be a lot busier inside. As the Wallin fight went on, Fury dominated all the close exchanges despite being the bigger man. Would Wilder take the chance of fighting inside more and risk tiring?

Whether it’s inside or out, Wilder will have to be busier in the second fight. Fury was cruising until the late rounds with Wilder looking confused and frustrated. Wilder’s jab would have to be busier and he would have to do a better job of cutting off the ring.

Fury’s willingness to exchange with Wallin would be welcomed by Wilder. It was Fury’s ability to box that was so effective in the first fight. It was obvious that Fury wanted to make a statement in the Wallin fight. He took chances that he didn’t take in the first Wilder fight. Will Fury be willing to take those same chances against Wilder? If not, can Wilder generate the exchanges without getting caught by a Fury uppercut?

No matter where you stand on the first fight, we can all agree that Wilder can’t fight the second fight like he fought the first. Because Wilder is so patient setting up the right hand, against a fight like Fury he could once again mail away the early rounds. He can’t afford this in a rematch.

Wilder needs to take care of business against Ortiz but once that fight is over, he should take a look at the Wallin fight. There are things he could learn if he’s willing to do so.

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