Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will finally meet for a third time on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ PPV, 9 p.m. ET).
Fury and Wilder fought to a split draw in 2018, and in the rematch in February 2020, Fury dominated Wilder for a seventh-round TKO victory.
After failed negotiations and multiple delays, Wilder will have a chance to get his revenge. He now has a new trainer in Malik Scott and feels confident he can stop Fury this time. His right hand is still his best weapon, but to make it count, he needs to land it against the unorthodox Fury.
Can he avoid Fury's pressure and keep him at reach? Or is Fury going to attack him again and throw him off his game plan to score another victory?
We asked former opponents and boxing analysts for their take on the fight and their predictions.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Bernard Hopkins, former two-division champion, member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
How Fury wins: He has to be himself, what he was when he won the rematch. Fury is not going to try anything different than he did when he won that fight. You don't change when you win; you change when you lose.
In that fight he confused Wilder with his unorthodox style. He obviously took a hell of a punch in their first fight, and that sent a message to Wilder: 'Hey, you have a right hand, but I'm gonna get up from it." That's major, that's 50 percent of the mind control right there. And then he can flat-out fight. As unorthodox he looks, as goofy as he may come across, that's just him. And while he won't be underestimated by Wilder, that personality and style -- the way he jabs, throws the right hands, his sharpness, the way he pivot and moves -- all those things that we are accustomed to seeing in the sweet science, he is totally different, in a great way. I don't think anybody, anytime soon, is gonna limit that. Because that's why he's been winning, probably since the amateurs, or as an early pro.
I've watched Fury's film and he's much more refined than Wilder. Wilder gets wild. He's been working on fixing that, but he's going to be who he's been.
How Wilder wins: I'll say this again: Winners don't change style, losers do, and Wilder has to change his approach, mentally and physically, knowing that this fight is his career. If he loses, he can still come back, of course, but he will be just an opponent.
He has to go in there the way he's talking. He's now working with Malik Scott, old-school trainer from Philadelphia. Malik has learned from a lot of good trainers. I believe he's going to be a force outside of the ring to give affirmation to his student.
Again, when Wilder gets mad, he gets sloppy. That's a bad combination. You get mad, you get reckless, you get angry, you're emotional -- he gets off his game plan. That's why I say Malik Scott is a good trainer for him. I know some of the things they've been working on. Wilder has to buckle down, be very disciplined, even under stress. Even if he's having his way, he cannot get cocky, he cannot get wild, he must take the strategy from the beginning to the end, because one thing about Tyson Fury -- he's going to be more aggressive, he's gonna beat you up and he's gonna be talking to you while he's beating you up. He's a showman even in war.
X-factor: Fury needs to make Wilder mad. Fury has to do the same things he's done before. He has to confuse Wilder, use his unorthodox style, trash talk, do everything he can to make Wilder mad. When Wilder gets mad, he gets sloppy, gets off his game plan.
Prediction: Wilder wins this fight. I think Wilder will use a different tool than just "Look out for the right hand, Fury." I think he wants it. He wants to get back that heart -- and I'm saying this on the record -- that was taken when Tyson Fury rose up from the dead in the 12th round of their first fight. And yes, I believe he will get the KO, but not early. But he's gonna go through hell first. They are gonna hurt each other early, because they can't help themselves.
Eric Molina, former heavyweight challenger, lost to Wilder by KO in 2015
How Fury wins: Fury has to continue doing what he has been doing, what he did in the first two fights. I don't know if Fury has any other way to fight. He moves well, he's very good defensively, he makes you miss and makes you pay. But he needs to be prepared for the element of surprise, and be ready for something different that Wilder could bring to the table.
With Fury, you have to expect the unexpected. I don't know if he's going to attack Wilder like he did in the second fight. You don't know what he's going to do or how he's going to do it, how much he's going to weigh -- heck, you don't even know if he's going to be there on fight night. Because of all those things, if I'm Wilder, I won't worry about what Fury is going to do and focus on what he himself wants to do. And I can see Wilder doing what he needs to do.
How Wilder wins: The thing about Wilder is he's a phenomenal puncher. I've been watching videos of his training with Malik Scott, and some of the things I was able to execute when we fought -- and I went nine rounds with him -- they seem to have fixed. And on top of that, if Wilder can do what he was able to do to me and a bunch of other opponents, I think that brings a very dangerous Wilder to the table. It's very important to Wilder to have a statement win.
When Wilder throws that one-two, it comes from right field, way back. Fury is so intelligent defensively and has good reflexes that that big shot, that one-two, isn't gonna work. Fury is not going to be there when Wilder throws it. Wilder's gonna have to come in more intelligently. He is gonna have to set up that right hand. I've seen him doing it in training, with Scott educating the left hand to set up the right hand up. Wilder is gonna have to be a little more sneaky with the right.
I've done that in my career, because I also have a big right hand. You have to sneak it in sometimes, especially against intelligent guys like Fury. That's something I've seen Wilder work on specifically in training. I have seen it in the way he throws the punches now and I can see that punch landing, based on all the work he's put in on it. It's something you have to practice and have it in your mind to do on fight night.
X-factor: A sneaky right hand that's not coming from right field, that's coming down the pipe, like a short right hand. Similar to the short uppercut he used to KO Luis Ortiz in their rematch. I've seen Wilder throwing that right hand off different setups, so that punch is going to be very important in the fight. That's gonna be the knockout punch and Fury is not going to get up from this one.
Prediction: Wilder is going to knock out Fury between the sixth and eighth round. I see a big statement KO win for Wilder and one that could shake the world.
Otto Wallin, heavyweight contender, lost to Fury in 2019
How Fury wins: Fury has already shown what he has to do. Last time he pretty much ran over Wilder. Fury has to be himself. He has a lot of good tools -- he can box or he can come forward, but coming forward last time was the leading way, so I expect Fury will try to do the same. But now Wilder knows how the last fight played out, so he's going to be better prepared. But I think Fury will do the same he did in their last fight and he will also beware of Wilder's power, because he still hits very hard.
How Wilder wins: Wilder's greatest asset is his power, but he can't just rely on that. With Fury, you can't just think you are gonna go in there and knock him out with one punch. I think Wilder has to relax and throw a lot of punches, instead of waiting for the big one to land. Fury has good defense and very good upper body movement. If you keep throwing one big punch, he's going to slip past that and you are not going to hit him. Wilder has to be patient, be smart, use his jab and hit Fury to the body. And then the head will be there for him to hit. But he needs to set up his punches better and not try to land just one punch.
It is very important when you fight Fury that you don't have any respect for him. A lot of people give him too much respect in the ring. When Fury gets comfortable, he likes to dance, showboat, put his hands behind his back and stuff like that. And when he's very comfortable, he's also very good. So try to hit the body and stop him from doing that.
X-factor: Wilder's power. That's the equalizer. He can win any fight at any moment by just landing that right hand one time. I think that's the key.
Prediction: I think Fury is going to win again. I'm not sure he's going to knock Wilder out again, but I think he definitely wins. A decision this time.
Aureliano Sosa, trainer to Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller, Peter Quillin, Chris Colbert
How Fury wins: I think Malik Scott has changed Wilder's style a little, but not too much. They haven't been working together too long. You need more time for a real change. They haven't had a fight together. Fury is going to put the pressure on Wilder, and see if the old Wilder can come back. Fury needs to be a little more aggressive and more physical than Wilder, like he did in the second fight. Used his big body more. It's a big difference when a big guy like Fury puts his big body on you, leaning on you, pushing you around. He went to the body often and tired Wilder. Wilder has shown his chin is not that good.
How Wilder wins: With luck. Maybe if he lands his right hand flush. Besides that, I don't see a way for Wilder to win. I don't see Wilder boxing with Fury, moving with him. Wilder doesn't throw a straight hand, he throws it from a wide angle. You can see it coming, he shows you when he's gonna throw it, and Fury is very smart, he reads that right away. He will be able to roll the shoulder and move away. It has to be a lucky punch, but I don't see Wilder winning.
Prediction: Fury wins again. Maybe by Round 9, Round 10. I don't see Wilder being able to change all the things he had to change with a new trainer to beat Fury.