Malik Scott: If Wilder Do What I Know He Can Do, This Fight Is As Easy As He Wanna Make It

LAS VEGAS – Everything Malik Scott has seen during his time training Deontay Wilder over the past year and a half leads the retired heavyweight to think Wilder will be the dominant fighter this time around against Tyson Fury. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

Scott, who replaced Jay Deas as Wilder’s chief second following his lopsided loss to Fury 19 months ago, emphasized during a press conference Wednesday that he hasn’t given Wilder “a toolbox” during their time together. His new trainer has only helped Wilder take tools out of that proverbial box that he hadn’t used consistently during his five-year reign as the WBC champion.

If the hard-hitting Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) uses those underutilized skills versus Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), Scott predicted that their third 12-round title fight won’t last more than five rounds Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

“Nothing I’m saying about Deontay has no effect on how good Tyson Fury is,” Scott told BoxingScene.com following their final press conference Wednesday at MGM Grand Garden Arena. “We’re not fighting somebody that’s a little bit good. We’re fighting somebody that’s very, very good – like very, very good. This guy had good reflexes, but what he did, in my opinion, was he slowed down. When I used to box Fury, he was actually better back then, in my opinion. When he was getting ready for the Kevin Johnson [fight in December 2012], he was much more elusive. Tyson Fury has always had a vulnerable style. That’s what also make him exciting, too, because you could see him getting caught. At times, he put his chin up. At times, he come in.

“And it doesn’t take a big puncher to put him down, as we all seen. Steve Cunningham. Like it doesn’t take a big, big puncher. It take a sharp puncher. You know what I mean? And not only is Deontay sharp, he’s the hardest puncher in the history of the sport. And this is coming from somebody that’s been in the ring [in sparring] with Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali [Klitschko]. Like, you know what I mean?”

Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, floored Fury twice during their first fight – once in the ninth round and again during the 12th round. England’s Fury reached his feet following each knockdown, fought back and made it to the final bell in a bout that resulted in a split draw in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Fury floored Wilder twice in their rematch, which Fury won by seventh-round technical knockout in February 2020 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Though their rematch was stunningly one-sided, Scott suspects Wilder will return the favor and regain his WBC belt in the main event of an ESPN/FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event (9 p.m. EDT; $79.99).

“I’m just telling you, if this dude do what I know he can do and what I’ve been seeing him doing in training camp, this will be the least of his worries,” Scott said. “This fight is as easy as he wanna make it. And that’s saying a lot because that’s a great dude over there. That’s a great fighter, not dude. But he has a lot of great [tactics] when it comes to fighting. But if Deontay continue to stay dynamic the way he’s doing now, it’s an inside-of-five-rounds knockout, especially if Fury start taking him for granted.

“If he’s adamant about doing the things he say he gonna do, he’s gonna find out very early in the fight that Deontay is not one of these little boys he been boxing. This is not the same [as the] first and second Deontay fight. Like, this is a totally different thing right here. Like I said, man, I’m just very proud of him. I can’t wait for you all to see. I’ve been seeing everything in training camp.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.