Deontay Wilder Talks Up Tyson Fury Bout Ahead of Francesco Pianeta Showdown

Deontay Wilder has said Tyson Fury will have to "look good" in his upcoming fight with Francesco Pianeta to set up the highly anticipated bout between the two heavyweight superstars.

As the Mirror's Martin Domin reported, the Bronze Bomber attended the weigh-in for Saturday's bout between Fury and Pianeta, and he'll also attend the fight as part of Showtime's commentary team.

Speaking to BBC Sport (h/t Domin), Wilder was already looking ahead at his potential meeting with the Gypsy King:

"The fight definitely will happen. Fury has to win tomorrow night and look good.

"Be ready. I'm coming to knock you out, plain and simple.

"Fury has to do what he needs to tomorrow so that when we come to fight, that's how much excitement and aggression there will be."

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Fury returned to boxing earlier this year with an easy win over Sefer Seferi, a fight Domindescribed as "farcical." Seferi is a natural cruiserweight and was horribly overmatched by the much larger Fury, who seemed more interested in putting on a show.

He weighed in 18 pounds lighter for the fight against Pianeta, however, a sign he's taking this opponent more seriously. The 33-year-old has lost two of his last three bouts and is not expected to put up much resistance.

If Fury beats Pianeta, a superfight with Wilder seems almost inevitable. The WBCheavyweight champion has been trying to elevate his profile for years, and so far, a bout against Anthony Joshua hasn't materialised.

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Wilder said he's no longer thinking about AJ: "I have no words for Joshua, it's solely on Fury. Joshua is old news, there's a new kid in town—Tyson Fury."

Like Wilder, Fury is undefeated, with his biggest triumph coming against WladimirKlitschko. He became lineal champion by beating the Ukrainian, but a rematch was cancelled and a subsequent ban for the Englishman led to a two-year hiatus.

Fury and Pianeta will meet on Saturday at Windsor Park in Belfast. If the Gypsy King wins, a bout with Wilder is expected to be scheduled for later this year. The winner of that fight could be in line for another major payday against Joshua in 2019.