Eddie Hearn: Tyson Fury is "a big favourite" to beat Deontay Wilder again
Tyson Fury, right, is contractually obliged to face Deontay Wilder for a third time (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Promoter Eddie Hearn is confident that Tyson Fury will defeat Deontay Wilder and go on to meet his man Anthony Joshua in their proposed unification battle in 2021.
The Matchroom mogul believes there will be no questioning Fury's hunger for the fight when he steps into the ring to put his rivalry with Wilder to bed.
"I think Fury has got to be a huge favourite, he's beaten him twice already really," Hearn told William Hill. "But Wilder is dangerous. And you never know a fighter's mindset when they go from achieving what Tyson has achieved with a load of money in the bank.
"How much does that hunger [in Fury] still exist? You can bet your life the hunger will be there for Deontay Wilder. But Tyson Fury is a big favourite in that fight. He's really schooled him twice, and I expect him to do so a third time."
British rival backs Fury to win trilogy bout
Hearn is not alone in backing Fury to overcome the American with fellow British heavyweight Dillian Whyte of the belief that the “Gypsy King” has Wilder's number.
The 32-year-old would have faced Fury for the WBC title had he not suffered a shock knockout defeat to Alexander Povetkin at Fight Camp on 22 August.
"I think Fury is going to win again," Whyte said. "He's beaten him twice already, and I think he's going to win again. I think it will be easier this time around. Obviously, he out-boxed him last time, and he knocked him out this time, so what is Wilder going to bring?
"He can't say 'my punch power, my punch power' anymore, no. He's been dominated. He took your punch away from you, put you on the back foot and stopped you.
"And then [Fury's] also out-boxed him in the first fight when he was rusty, so what's [Wilder] going to do? He's not all of a sudden going to become a great mid-range counter-puncher that you haven't done for 40-something fights."
Fury vs Wilder 3 should be the final hurdle before the long-awaited battle of the all-British unification bout which both camps have agreed to in principle. But in heavyweight boxing, who knows.
