Tyson Fury will become UK’s greatest ever heavyweight boxer if he defeats Deontay Wilder, says Frank Warren

Promoter Warren says Fury victory will see him eclipse Lennox Lewis
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Declan Taylor21 February 2020

Tyson Fury will replace Lennox Lewis as Britain’s greatest ever heavyweight if he beats Deontay Wilder, but he might never fight on home soil again.

That is the view of Frank Warren, who has described the Las Vegas showpiece as the biggest fight he has been involved in since he began promoting boxing 40 years ago.

It is 14 months since Fury and Wilder served up a classic in Los Angeles, when the self-styled Gypsy King climbed off the canvas twice as the undefeated pair drew at the Staples Center.

Fury, a former WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, gets the chance to win the only major title that has eluded him so far, with Wilder putting his WBC belt on the line at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

And Warren says if Fury can dethrone the big-hitting American, he will secure his place as Britain’s best, ahead of ­former undisputed heavyweight king Lewis.

“With all due respect to Lennox Lewis, I think Tyson will go down as the greatest British heavyweight in history if he wins this fight,” said ­Warren.

“If you look at what he has been through, nearly three years out of the ring and 10st weight loss, I think this will be the greatest comeback of a fighter ever, forget about Britain.

“I think this is the biggest fight that I’ve been involved in. Thus is bigger than things like Frank Bruno against Mike Tyson.”

The encounter is Fury’s fourth consecutive fight in America — he has boxed only once in England in the past five years — and now Warren admits it is unlikely that the 31-year-old will ever box on home soil again, because even the money generated by a sold-out Wembley pales in comparison with the riches on offer in America or the emerging market of Saudi ­Arabia,

“The winner of this is the No1 heavyweight in the world who can command big money, but it has to come from somewhere,” said Warren. “Wherever that comes from is where we will go. I’d like to see him fight again in the UK, but having said that he’s a boxer at the top of his game and he needs to go where the money is.

In Pictures | Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury press conference

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“That’s what sportsmen do. They’ve got a short shelf life and they need to go and earn some money.

“He’s not deserting his country, fans can still watch it. I’d much prefer the fights to be in the UK, but it’s not like that. It’s here because we need it to be primetime here, where the pay-per-view market is $75 a pop.

“You’ve got a big market there that generates huge money and then the casino will put up more than you’d get at Wembley because of the prices they charge here. Back home on BT it will generate the money anyway. The UK can’t compete financially.”

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