Tyson Fury And Deontay Wilder Snub One Another As They Name Their Toughest Opponents To Date

Fierce rivals Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder snubbed one another as they named the toughest opponents of their respective careers.

The two boxing stars initially clashed in their blockbuster mega-fight in 2018, which ended in a controversial draw.

But Fury, 32, would claim the ultimate bragging rights back in February as he delivered a boxing masterclass against Wilder to force a seventh-round stoppage.

While Wilder is pushing for Fury to honour his rematch clause and commit to a third fight, there is no love lost between the pair when it comes to their toughest opponents.

WBC champ Fury has insisted that his toughest fight to date remains his 2013 encounter with Steve Cunningham.

"I wouldn't say [Wilder] was the toughest fight," the 'Gypsy King' said.

"I would say that was one of my easiest fights, to be fair. Other than the two knockdowns, it was a pretty one-sided fight.

"Yeah, my most difficult fights were much more harder than that. Deontay Wilder's not my toughest opponent -- that's for sure.

"My toughest opponent in my whole career was Steve Cunningham. He was a former cruiserweight champion. I fought him in 2013 in New York, Madison Square Garden, and that was the toughest fight I ever had."

Cunningham would send Fury crashing to the canvas in the second round of their clash with a powerful right hook.

However, the Brit superstar fought back and picked up a seventh-round KO victory at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

Wilder, on the other hand, has claimed that his toughest opponent to date remains Cuban star Luis Ortiz.

The 35-year-old former WBC champ was placed on the backfoot against Ortiz in their initial 2018 encounter before securing a sensational 10th-round TKO victory.

And Wilder would once again face a tough test against 'King Kong' in their 2019 rematch, only to chalk up another victory thanks to a devastating punch in the seventh round.

"When I fought Ortiz, not only did he have the pedigree, but also he had the classification of being the boogeyman of the division," the 'Bronze Bomber' said.

"I agree with those who say that Luis Ortiz was my toughest fight to date. No-one wanted to fight him and they still don't."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Tyson Fury, Luis Ortiz, Bronze Bomber, Boxing News, Boxing, Gypsy King, Deontay Wilder

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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