Deontay Wilder's trainer Malik Scott has said that Tyson Fury would have beaten Muhammad Ali as the Manchester born fighter prepares for his expected unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury is expected to face Usyk with the hope of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world as he puts his WBC title on the line against the Ukrainian who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight belts. Usyk also holds the lineal Ring Magazine title which was previously held by Fury until last August when he surrendered the belt amid talks of his retirement.
Fury remains undefeated, with his closest brush with defeat coming against Wilder as he rose off the canvas in the twelfth round to secure a stunning win in 2018. What followed were two more outstanding fights as the pair played out one of the most memorable trilogies in boxing history.
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Comparison to one of the all-time greats is a huge compliment to Fury's skill, with Scott making the claim with Fury currently undefeated with a 33-0-1 record. By comparison Ali retired with a 56-0-5 record in the ring, but Scott did admit that Fury would have had more difficulties against Ali in his early days as he fought under his birth name Cassius Clay.
Ali was exiled from the sport in 1966 after refusing to join the draft for the Vietnam War in protest over civil rights issues in the US and returned with his new name in 1970 to reclaim the heavyweight championship of the world. However, he lost his undefeated record in the process and.
He remains one of the enduring figures in world sport and is dubbed 'the greatest' for his achievements. Scott made the comparison as Fury prepares for what could be the biggest year of his career as he prepares to face Usyk in what is a highly anticipated fight in the heavyweight division.
Speaking to Casinos En Ligne, Scott said: “Tyson Fury beats Muhammad Ali but Cassius Clay gives Fury more problems. The Ali that came back to boxing after exile, Tyson Fury beats that Ali. Fury would be too imposing, too fast, too much for Ali.
“Ali was too stationary when he came back. I believe a tricky Fury or the latest version of Fury would beat Ali, but Cassius Clay would give Fury a much better fight.” He added.
Meanwhile, Scott will be preparing Wilder for a potential fight against Andy Ruiz Jr, with the two former heavyweight champions rumoured to meet this year after Wilder returned to the ring with a win against Robert Helenius last year. He gave a strong appraisal of his client, saying that he would have no problem against Ruiz.
He explained: “Andy Ruiz presents absolutely no threat to a disciplined Deontay Wilder. I’ve been going over my notes and from film study I see Andy Ruiz has a problem with disciplined fighters. The only hope Andy Ruiz has is if you give him an opportunity. But if you stick to a game plan he’s easy to shut down. He’s a good fighter but we all have our loopholes, Andy’s is he can’t beat disciplined fighters.
“When AJ fought him the first time he was not as disciplined as when he fought him the second time. The minute AJ fought with a systemised game plan it was a shut out. An old Chris Arreola, who got with Joe Goosen and stuck with a game plan, beat Ruiz in my opinion by two rounds. Every time I look at the tape, I have Arreola winning by two rounds, it definitely wasn’t as wide as the judges had it.
“Andy Ruiz is going to come to Deontay and when he does he puts himself at risk. We’re going to make him reach, he has to, we’re taller. When he reaches he’s going to pay like he’s never paid before.
“A disciplined, systemised Deontay Wilder has no problem with Andy Ruiz. Does that mean Andy is a bad fighter, absolutely not, but Deontay with a game plan; high hand up, chin behind the left knee, patience knowing he’s going to have his big moments - it’s a shutout, a painful, scary shutout.”
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