WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder takes on heavyweight lineal king Tyson Fury on Saturday night, and when one considers why this showdown is one of the most fun and intriguing matchups in recent history, they need look no further than the contrasting styles of the two fighters. The 6-foot-7 Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) is the most feared slugger in the sport and has knocked out every opponent he has faced. The 6-foot-9 Fury (27-0, 19 KOs), meanwhile, is the ultimate spoiler with the speed of a middleweight and a style hellbent on disarming and disrupting his opponents. 

This may not be the most classic example of "boxer versus puncher" that heavyweight boxing has ever produced given how quirky and awkward each fighter is. Yet it should make for interesting theater on Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET) to watch Fury walk the tightrope of banking rounds knowing full well the fight can end at any time thanks to Wilder's murderous right hand.

Wilder vs. Fury Tale of the Tape

FighterDeontay WilderTyson Fury

Nickname

Bronze Bomber

Gypsy King

Record

40-0 (39 KOs)

27-0 (19 KOs)

Titles

WBC heavyweight

Lineal heavyweight

Age

33

30

Height

6-foot-7

6-foot-9

Reach

83 inches

85 inches

Stance

Orthodox

Orthodox

Hometown

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Manchester, England

Best wins

Luis Ortiz (TKO 10, 2018), Bermane Stiverne (UD 12, 2015/ KO 1, 2017)      

Wladimir Klitschko (UD 12, 2015), Dereck Chisora (TKO 10, 2014), Steve Cunningham (KO 7, 2013)

Odds -155 +125

For as destructive of a roll that Wilder, 33, has been on in his seven defenses since first winning the title from Bermane Stiverne in 2015, the WBC champion will still be fighting for respect (in addition to Fury's lineal crown) due to a glaring lack of qualify opposition on his resume. 

Some of that changed with his comeback stoppage of unbeaten Luis Ortiz in March when Wilder showed tremendous heart and recuperative abilities to avoid going down amid a barrage of heavy punches. But against an A-plus level boxer of Fury's class, the jury is still out as to whether Wilder's power is enough to offset his crude technique in comparison to the champions who have preceded him historically.

If everything was equal, the 30-year-old Fury may be the only fighter physically and mentally capable of frustrating Wilder enough to go the full 12-round distance and solve him the same way Fury did in 2015 when he shocked the world by upsetting former champion Wladimir Klitschko. 

The problem for Fury, despite an inspirational comeback over the past year, is that there's no guarantee everything is equal entering this fight as dangerous questions still linger. After shedding nearly 150 pounds over the past year in his recovery from battles with mental illness and substance abuse that forced him to vacate his titles, can Fury be anything close to the fighter he was three years ago this week in his last fight of this magnitude? 

A pair of comeback bouts earlier this year were largely inconclusive thanks to the marginal quality of his opposition. One thing Fury has often leaned on for an edge, particularly against Klitschko, is his ability to win the battle of mental warfare heading into a fight. Throughout a largely colorful promotion, it didn't appear as if Fury had made any ground against Wilder, who has been just as mentally tough. 

Who wins Wilder-Fury? Visit SportsLine now to see boxing guru Peter Kahn's exclusive pick, from the boxing expert who cashed in 20-1 on the GGG-Canelo draw and just called Shawn Porter's upset of Danny Garcia.

"I'm at the elite level. There is no getting into my head, it's too powerful," Wilder told CBS Sports last week. "When he's talking, he's just talking. He don't understand that I ain't listening to any of that because I know what I'm going to do.

"Nothing he said got under my skin. When you have a background like mine, when you are growing up with the color I have, nothing he can say can get under my skin. There is nothing that I haven't heard before. But also understand that whatever you say will be applied against you. I will be the judge and jury and it will be judgement day come [Saturday]."

Despite Wilder's comments, Fury appeared to finally penetrate his defense during Wednesday's final press conference when the two needed to be separated as Wilder let out an emotional rant. While it's fair to argue whether angering a fighter as violently dangerous as Wilder is a smart move stylistically, Fury certainly showed his wily intelligence in trying to do so. 

While Fury may have succeeded in snake-charming Klitschko into not throwing punches out of fear of exposing his chin, Wilder won't be as easily deterred (especially since Fury lacks one-punch knockout power). Fury's best bet in steering Wilder into a specific direction might be the dangerous gamble of inciting the puncher into recklessness and fatigue. 

Fury has kept up what appears to be a facade throughout the promotion that he's angling for a knockout and doubled down on Wednesday by predicting it might come in the first round. Fury explained to CBS Sports during the New York stop of their press tour in October that it's all a calculated part of his plan to goad Wilder into the kind of chaos in which he feels most comfortable. 

"I want him to be in a war," Fury said. "All the pressure is on Deontay Wilder to knock me out so when he starts swinging and missing, I'm just going to clip him. I'm going to clip him with a left hook to the body and I'm going to crack a couple of ribs and then I'm going to see how he likes to swing. I know he has two hands like two biscuits and they break very easily. So when he hits the big bald head and he breaks his hands, he's done. I'm going to beat the shit out of him in front of the world."

Wilder has maintained consistently that Fury's talk of looking to finish the finisher is nothing more than than just that: talk. 

"Everything he does is mental, it's a mental game that he plays," Wilder said. "He don't believe those things himself because he doesn't possess that type of power. Tyson Fury doesn't have strength, he throws pillow punches. I've got babies that are stronger than him. He ain't no knockout artist, all he wants to do is beat you on points. 

"You can tell by the method in how he throws his jab with his elbows out. He don't know what it feels like to knock a man out in exciting fashion. He has never been in an exciting fight except for when he got dropped by [Steve] Cunningham [in 2013]. That's it. But me? Me? My career has been based off of dramatic knockouts. My career has been based on moments of when we don't know if someone is going to keep breathing after getting knocked down. This is real, what I do is real. I don't fake it."

Prediction 

The most disheartening truth that Fury must face entering this fight is that even if he can turn back the clock to 2015 and be on his way to pitching a perfect game by outfoxing Wilder, the fight can end at any moment with just one punch. 

To Wilder's credit, his team of co-trainers Jay Deas and Mark Breland have helped him develop a style that uses his raw qualities to his advantage considering he didn't take up boxing until he was 20. Part of Wilder's strength in that regard is that he never panics even when he's giving away arounds against better boxers and typically retains the patience necessary to find the right moment to finish the fight as his opponent begins to tire. 

The danger of Wilder's thundering right hand mixed with his own speed and athleticism means Fury may not be able to rely solely on misdirection and avoidance to control space. After adding Hall of Famer Freddie Roach to his corner just weeks ago, Fury will likely need to steer even closer to the flames by landing enough offense to convince the judges while giving Wilder a reason not to be patient. It's a strategy that's certainly easier said than done thanks to Wilder's concussive counter fire. 

While Wilder is certainly a scary force once he uncorks his trademark wild helicopter hooks, he does far more damage when he calculatingly sets his feet to uncork a counter right hand. Keeping the fight at a chaotic pace could help Fury prevent Wilder from ever settling in and being comfortable but it also might zap his gas tank in the process. 

What remains in Fury's favor is the fact that Wilder doesn't go to the body, doesn't rely enough on his jab and hasn't developed his left hook into a consistent weapon. As long as Fury can consistently see Wilder's right hand coming and has retained enough speed to avoid it, the fight has potential to become the kind of chess match he can win.

Wilder is so strong, of course, that even partially landed shots with his right hand can produce knockdowns, which means Fury may need to get up off the canvas in order to win. He's certainly mentally tough enough and has the added motivation of having recently overcome a dark, two-year journey outside the ring that nearly cost him his life and proved to be a more formidable opponent than any mortal man. 

But what happens to Wilder if, like former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin once he finally lured an A-level opponent into the ring with him, he's forced to find an alternative plan once someone proves able to take his best shot? It's hard to imagine anyone that brave and tough considering the trail of fallen opponents Wilder has left behind but at the same time, Wilder has never fought an opponent as crafty and unique as Fury. 

For as much as Wilder's power presents the kind of great equalizer that can win him a fight, he may have no business doing so, a fit and focused Fury proved against Klitschko that he's daring and smart enough to do what was thought to be impossible on the surface. Wilder might be more dangerous than the gun-shy Klitschko was in 2015 but don't forget he's by no means as skilled or crafty. 

The odds tell you that no matter how well Fury performs, Wilder will eventually catch up to him. He'll have 36 minutes on Saturday to try and do so and the tick of every second off the clock should prove dramatic, regardless of whether the fight is entertaining or Fury controls it by stinking out the joint. 

Either way, it's too difficult to count out the one man in the division with the right combination of size, speed and guts to try. 

Pick: Fury via split decision.