Deontay Wilder says Tyson Fury adding trainer Freddie Roach after LA relocation is ‘nervous behaviour’

Deontay Wilder believes Tyson Fury’s late addition of trainer Freddie Roach to his team is a display of “nervous behaviour” ahead of their Las Vegas heavyweight showdown at the start of next month.

The two will face off for the WBC heavyweight title on 3 December with Fury looking to reclaim his champion status three years since his career-highlight victory over Wladimir Klitschko.

With anticipation for the bout building up as both Fury and Wilder begin to trade verbal barbs, tensions rising as they each look to claim any advantage possible in the mind-games battle. Known for having a way with words, Fury has – by his standards – been unusually subdued since the fight was announced, but Wilder has upped the ante questioning Fury’s motives to move his training camp to Los Angeles and bring in renowned trainer Roach, who has enjoyed an illustrious career working with the likes of Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan.

Wilder also questioned the absence of former trainer and uncle Peter Fury, while father John Fury will also not be in his son’s corner come fight night as he has been denied a US visa to a past criminal conviction.

“This is the biggest fight of his life to date and if I was him I would be trying to reach out to any resources when you are dealing with one of the most dangerous men in the boxing game,” Wilder said on Thursday night.

“I would have been more happy with Peter, that is who he really needs. His only name has been Klitschko, but Peter was the one that was with him for that. Peter knows him, in and out.

“In this short period of time (new trainers such as Roach) ain’t going to get to know you. When you start getting multiple trainers that is nervous behaviour.”

Roach will work alongside Fury’s current trainer, Ben Davison, who remains the main voice in the Manchester fighter’s corner even though Roach brings a wealth of experience at the top level. That has raised a thought in Wilder’s mind that Fury may suffer from too many voices trying to pull him in different directions, with the threat of too many cooks spoiling the broth hurting his chances of becoming the first man to beat American Wilder.

“I like Ben (Davison) as a person. I don’t know what he is like as a trainer. I don’t know his levels,” Wilder added. “We had never heard of him before but that means nothing. You can have an unknown be the greatest alive.

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“It all depends on how Fury takes it. It can work for him because more brains is better than one. But it could go against him because it could be too many chiefs. All of them have egos except Ben. He is new and this is his first big fight.

“Even though he is head trainer he might take some steps back for these experienced trainers. It can be an advantage or a disadvantage.”

Fury has also decided to up sticks and relocate his training base from Abel Sanchez’s Big Bear gym to Los Angeles – a decision that he claims was always in the plan – which has led Wilder to question whether he is already struggling with the demands of the fight.

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“Abel Sanchez was up there, a whole different trainer, and now you come to sea level and you got the other trainer. It ain’t going to matter to me,” he said. “I want him to get the trainer that he feels can get the best out of Tyson Fury because I want him to bring his best. I am sick of fighters making excuses.

“I will knock him out, I will beat him. He says no man of his mother’s womb is going to beat him then why the f*** is he switching up with all these trainers then?”