If former two-division champion and current Showtime boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi were to wear his prognosticator hat, he believes Tyson Fury will always end up on the winning column against archrival Deontay Wilder.

Malignaggi said Fury was robbed of a decision in their first fight, a controversial split draw in December 2018, and the British boxer’s dominant seventh round TKO display this February was more along the lines of what will unfold if and when a third fight between the heavyweight titans takes place.

“Wilder is a very good fighter and one of the best in the world, but I don’t think he will ever beat Tyson Fury. No. Fury has his number, and the number of the entire heavyweight division,” Malignaggi told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I don’t think anyone in the division can beat Fury right now. The only person who beats Tyson Fury is Tyson Fury himself if he loses his mind, half a**es it in training and falls off the wagon again. He’s more mature now, and I don’t expect that to happen.”

Malignaggi was a TV analyst for the first fight between Fury and Wilder on Showtime pay per view, and he said that the Alabamian boxer tried to get him and commentator Steve Farhood, who also scored the fight for Fury, fired from their roles at Showtime.

“There was no bad blood from me toward Wilder until there was bad blood from him. I am nobody’s cheerleader. I am an analyst,” said Malignaggi. “I actually liked Deontay, like most fighters. This is how we make our living. It’s a short window, and I love watching guys achieve their dreams. I have a job, and whether I’m your friend or not, I have to do my job no matter if we’re cool or not. I don’t expect an athlete to be happy with criticism, but at the same time, my criticism is not from a perspective of trying to bring anyone down. I’ve been on the wrong end of bad decisions, and anytime I see one, I want to make sure I put it out there. I was disgusted with the decision of the first Wilder and Fury fight.”

The 39-year-old Malignaggi last fought as a boxer in 2017 and finished his career 36-8, 7 KOs.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.