Tyson Fury names his most formidable opponent - "It could've been curtains for me at any second"

Tyson Fury has named Deontay Wilder as the most formidable opponent of his career.

'The Gypsy King' and 'The Bronze Bomber' faced off on three occasions. In their first meeting in 2018, Wilder knocked down Fury down twice, including a devastating one in the final round. However, the Brit was able to survive to see a draw on the scorecards.

The next two fights would be far more fruitful for the British heavyweight. The second bout was one-way traffic, as Fury dominated en route to a knockout win to claim WBC gold. Their trilogy fight the following year was much more back and forth, but once again, the Brit won by a finish.

A year and a half on from his last meeting with Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury has reflected on their history in an interview with Foxify Trade. There, the WBC heavyweight champion praised his former rival and stated that he was the greatest opponent of his career thus far.

In the interview, Fury stated:

"My most formidable opponent was Deontay Wilder. All three times it could've been curtains for me at any second. He knocked out every single person that he ever fought, apart from me. I'd back him to beat everybody in the division apart from myself."

See his comments in the video below:

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Tyson Fury offers theory why Deontay Wilder couldn't knock him out

To date, Tyson Fury is the only man that Deontay Wilder hasn't been able to knockout.

'The Bronze Bomber' is considered to be arguably the hardest puncher in the history of boxing. It's not hard to argue his case either. Wilder has won 43 fights in his career, with only one not coming by knockout.

It was a 2015 unanimous decision win over Bermane Stiverne. In classic Wilder fashion, he rematched the former champion just two years later. The 37-year-old wasted zero time in making sure that Stiverne joined his highlight-reel, winning by first-round knockout.

Despite being able to knock him down a combined four times, Deontay Wilder was unable to finish Tyson Fury in their three-fight series. In an interview with Foxify Trade, the Brit theorized that his weight had to do with it.

"I think my sheer size and weight has a lot to do with him not being able to knock me out cold. He hits a guy 6ft 3ins and 225lbs, they're nailed to the canvas. But a guy 6ft 9ins and 277lbs - size matters."