Tyson Fury labels Deontay Wilder ‘mentally baffled’ after chaotic press conference

Fury challenges for Wilder's WBC title on December 1 at the Staples Center in LA

Tyson Fury has labelled WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 'mentally baffled' after just one stop on the duo's three-city press tour.

Fury challenges for Wilder's WBC title on December 1 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in what will be the second world title fight of his decade-long career and Wilder's eighth defence.

But as soon as the 6ft 9in 'Gypsy King' rose from his seat at Monday's London press conference and offered the visitor from Alabama an impromptu body spar, it was obvious that this would be unlike any other promotion the champion has been involved in.

Fury was hailed for playing his mind games to perfection before he famously dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf back in 2015 and he does not feel like he has lost his touch in that department in the three years since.

He said: “Am I under Wilder's skin? 100 per cent. He's mentally baffled at the moment. I'm living in his head rent free.”

And, with further press conferences scheduled for New York on Tuesday and then Los Angeles on Wednesday, Fury added: “I'm 100 per cent going to be cranking it up over the next two days.

“I think he doesn't know what to do because this has never happened to him. He's never faced anybody like me, who talks and puts on a big show. This is all new to him. He hasn't had the big, big fights.

“I've only had one of them but at least I've had the one and I've experienced proper championship boxing. He's yet to experience that one big fight.”

Fury, meanwhile, came through his acid test against Klitschko, who had not lost a fight for 11 years before the Englishman arrived in Germany and relieved him of the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.

Wilder had won his title earlier in 2015 by beating Bermane Stiverne and he has stopped all seven men who have challenged him for it since.

Deontay Wilder won his title by beating Bermane Stiverne (Getty)

But Fury said: “My experience in that one fight changed me a lot. Once you go there and you beat a champion it's different to when you beat somebody who wasn't a champion.

“Bermane Stiverne won a vacant title against Chris Arreola, then Wilder beat Stiverne for the belt so he hasn't really beaten a champion properly.

“When you go and beat a champion properly you get an extra 40 or 50 per cent confidence in your ability. You know it works, it's not just hot air, you know it does work because I've done it before.”

But Wilder was quick to highlight the one major difference between the 2015 Fury and the one who stood before him on London's Olympic Park.

Tyson Fury dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 (Bongarts/Getty)

Since that night, the 30-year-old has split with his influential trainer-uncle Peter and has instead worked with Ben Davison in the first two fights of his comeback.

Wilder believes such a dramatic change behind the scenes will not only affect Fury on fight night but also in his bid to unsettle him mentally.

“With Peter, Tyson knows he needs him,” Wilder said.

“Sometimes pride gets in it, I don't know the reason for their breakage, they are still family, but he definitely needs Peter for this fight.

“I feel that Peter was part of his success with the Klitschko fight. Not only with him using psychology on Klitschko, which was a great tactic, he got in his head. We know that boxing is more mental than physical, and for him to beat Klitschko, he had to get into his head. When the fight came it was self explanatory.

“This is the time, the moment in our lives, this is everything. And when you don't have that same trainer that you came up with, that voice that you know even when there are thousands of people in that crowd, you still hear that one special voice.

"When you don't have that no more you get that sense of missing. If Ben doesn't do what Fury says it will be: 'you're out of here'. 'If I can get rid of my family, you're easy'.”

Fury was able to rattle Klitschko ahead of their title fight (Bongarts/Getty)

Wilder only decided to take on Fury after failing to agree a unification clash with his fellow world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua despite months of negotiations between the two sides.

And while Fury was insistant it was a case of 'no comment on the other fella', Wilder had no problem declaring December 1 as a clear strategic step towards AJ.

“This is the ultimate move right here,” Wilder added. “This is another check mate upon all the other check mates to try to make that fight happen.

“We really tried to make that fight. The situation is real, the $50m we offered him was real. We don’t have time to play games, time is money.

“We don’t need each other but we need each other. My goal in boxing is to unify, that is one of my major goals in boxing. I can’t retire unless I unify the division. I’m not going to be in the sport that long.

“I’ve got seven to 10 years left in the game. I was 21 when I came in, I haven’t taken that much punishment. I’m still smart, I speak well, I know what is going on, I’m at the top of my game.”