David Haye made one of the boldest Deontay Wilder claims of the Tyson Fury rematch build-up, only for the argument to look very different twelve days later when Fury walked the American down in Las Vegas.
In February 2020, Haye backed Wilder’s chin, recovery powers and all-time punching ability before the rematch with Fury at MGM Grand.
At the time, it was not an outrageous view, as Haye knew Wilder better than most from plenty of sparring rounds.
Wilder was also unbeaten, still the WBC heavyweight champion, and had nearly knocked Fury out in the final round of their first meeting in 2018, which meant plenty of people still believed one clean right hand could settle the rematch.
That was the version of Wilder most of boxing still feared before Fury changed the entire conversation in seven brutal rounds.
David Haye on Deontay Wilder
Ahead of Wilder vs Fury II, Haye looked back on his sparring sessions with Wilder before “The Bronze Bomber” became world champion.
The former cruiserweight and heavyweight titleholder told Richie Woodall in a BT Sport breakdown that Wilder’s punch resistance was underrated.
“One thing people don’t mention is the punch resistance. I’ve never heard anyone say he [Deontay] can take a shot. He can take a shot,” Haye said.
Haye then pushed the point further.
“Not only has he got a good chin — his recovery power is great,” he added.
That was the part that came back hardest once Fury got hold of him, because while Haye’s assessment of Wilder’s power was always easier to defend, the chin-and-recovery argument was about to meet a very different kind of pressure.
Wilder remains one of the most dangerous single-punch heavyweights boxing has seen, with a right hand that built a world title reign and left plenty of opponents separated from their senses. Nobody needed to exaggerate that threat.
The rematch was different because Fury did not give Wilder the clean, upright, long-range fight that allowed that threat to breathe.
Wilder vs Fury II
Fury entered the rematch heavier, meaner and completely committed to forcing Wilder backward and smothering him.
From the opening rounds, the fight became nothing like the first meeting as the challenger leaned on him, mauled him, bullied him physically and stopped Wilder from loading the weapon that had carried his career.
WBN was ringside in Las Vegas and scoring the fight, but the card was never allowed to matter because Fury put Wilder down in the third round, dropped him again in the fifth and kept applying pressure until the seventh, when the towel came in and referee Kenny Bayliss stopped the fight.
WBN had Fury ahead 59-52 when the seventh round began. The scorecard was there, but Fury made it irrelevant.
The result report from ringside outlined how Fury mauled, man-handled and stopped Deontay Wilder in seven, which was about as far from Haye’s assessment as Fury could have taken it.
Claim Imploded in 12 Days
Haye had said Wilder could take a shot and recover quickly, but Fury forced boxing to watch the opposite picture unfold across seven increasingly uncomfortable rounds.
Wilder was not simply outboxed. He was slowly taken apart by pressure, size, clinch strength and a game plan designed to deny him the rhythm that made him so dangerous.
Once Fury hurt him, Wilder never truly looked like the same fighter again.
The rematch exposed the difference between carrying frightening power and dealing with a heavyweight who refuses to let you recover.
Wilder still had the power, but Fury stripped away the aura.
Fury Changed Everything
Before that night, Wilder could still point to Fury’s twelfth-round escape in the first fight and argue that one punch had nearly settled everything.
After the rematch, the conversation looked very different because Fury had not merely survived Wilder. He had dominated him.
Haye’s claim remains one of the more memorable receipts from the build-up.
Twelve days before Fury II, Wilder was being praised for his chin, recovery and destructive power. Twelve days later, only one of those claims still felt safe.
The power survived, but everything else took a beating.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
