Tyson Fury given warning by George Groves as he tells British boxing fans ‘don’t write off Deontay Wilder’ ahead of hugely anticipated trilogy

George Groves warned British boxing fans not to write off Deontay Wilder as he prepares to face Tyson Fury in their trilogy fight.

The Gypsy King will defend his WBC heavyweight title against the Bronze Bomber in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning - a fight you can listen to exclusively live on talkSPORT.

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The British heavyweight won their last clash back in February 2020 and is the heavy favourite to beat Wilder again.

The Alabama-based fighter has one dangerous weapon - his devastating power that Fury felt the full force of in their first clash.

He had to get up off the canvas and led to that fight being declared a draw.

Wilder has won by knockout in 41 of his 42 career win and former WBA (Super) super middleweight champion Groves believes there could be an upset.

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Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “It has been a while for Fury and he has had to get off the canvas before in the past to win a fight.

“Being a Brit, in the UK, people love Tyson Fury and they can’t see anything but a Fury win, especially after the last fight, but don’t write off the heavyweights and don’t write off Deontay Wilder.

“If only with one or two changes, maybe mentally or bringing in Malik Scott and a few other guys in his team, that he gets his tactics right and could be a totally different fight.”

Groves continued: “I want to back the underdog, but that’s just me. I think Wilder is going to be different. It might just be a mental change and maybe for Fury he might have taken this fight a tiny bit lightly. 

“He’s had a lot going on, he’s here there and everywhere and he’s that type of character. Maybe he thrives under it, but if he’s not quite switched on, and we’ve seen that in the past with Fury when he hasn’t quite shown up, usually when the opposition is not at his level and he might not get that luxury with Wilder.

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“If he’s not at the races and Wilder is switched on then we could see an upset.”

Groves also outlined how he thinks the fight will go from the first bell and warned that one big punch could change everything.

He added: “It might be a tactical battle at the start, guys trying to create the right distance, set the tempo, the foot positioning from both fighters will be important.

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“Fury won’t want to give away any ground, he will want to take the centre of the ring, likewise Wilder will be trying to tease him on to something and find his range.

“In the past, he’s been a bit gun shy where he hasn’t been able to have that comfort of knowing the distance, knowing where his hands are going to finish, but as soon as he’s got that or sometimes when he just has to let his hands go he’s dangerous.

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“Fury is a big man, which is one advantage, but he is also a big target. There’s a lot of him to hit.

“That’s the thing with heavyweights, we had Joshua and Usyk last week, they asked me who I’d pick and Joshua was the favourite but it was a tough fight and I said Usyk could beat him.

“One punch can change a fight, especially with the big guys.”

talkSPORT will bring you live and exclusive radio commentary of Tyson Fury’s heavyweight trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder this Saturday night. Download the talkSPORT app to listen and follow our live blog on the night for the latest updates and reaction.