Tyson Fury capped off his trilogy with Deontay Wilder with a brutal 11th round knockout after a wild contest that saw both men on the canvas. Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) retained the WBC title and the linear heavyweight championship while apparently proving his superiority over Wilder once and for all.
Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) made good on his plan to change his attack and came out aggressively in the first round with some positive results. Fury took some time to figure things out and wasn’t able to bully Wilder like he did throughout their second fight.
The two-way action most people expected started in earnest in the second round as Fury came out ready to attack. Wilder was still active and got some good right hands in but Fury was always able to return fire. The pattern continued into the third, with Wilder coming forward and the champion throwing back, and near the end of the round Fury scored the first knockdown of the fight.
The challenger rose looking as bad as he did throughout much of their second fight, unsteady, gassed, eyes not focused. Yet he weathered the storm and continued on into the fourth round. That’s when the fight shifted into its next phase.
The dazed Wilder gamely held up under a fierce attack, occasionally throwing dangerous shots back, but looking very much like his time was limited. Then he landed one of his patented, from-the-grave right hands and down went Fury. A master of recuperation, Fury rose and got back in there but quickly went down again with 10 seconds left in the round.
When round five began, both looked to be fully recovered from their knockdowns and the battle raged on. It was the last round I scored for Wilder. From then on, it was Fury hounding his tired, battered foe while Wilder would load up with huge shots from time to time, sometimes landing and causing Fury some trouble.
But rounds six through 10 all went to Fury on my scorecard and the second knockdown of Wilder came in the 10th with 1:18 left. He made it through the round but then in the 11th Fury put him down in such a manner that the fight was waved off the moment Wilder hit the canvas.
True to form for both fighters, Fury sang to the audience and Wilder left the ring immediately with no congratulations or post-fight interview. Given the beating Wilder took, it could be understood that he needed to get medical care right away, but poor sportsmanship most likely played a part.
We’ve seen them fight three times now and Fury got the better of most of the action. The moments where Wilder decked him violently are what makes this a competitive rivalry. At the time of this stoppage, the official scorecards read 94-92, 95-91 and 95-91, all for Fury. Combine that with the one-sided affair they had last time and Fury seems to have the clear upper hand over Wilder.
The first fight ended in a draw and many people believe Fury won that one, despite being knocked down twice. Regardless, Wilder does not have a win against Fury. But his lethal right hand has put him on the brink of victory several times in the series.
In real time, it was the most thrilling boxing match I can remember watching in a good, long while. I was tensed up and my heart was racing. When watching the replay, I’m sure that with the outcome already known, it will be clear that Deontay was on borrowed time for most of the way and both men were throwing wide, sloppy haymakers. But when you don’t know the outcome and you are aware of Wilder’s fight-saving power, it’s a wild ride.
Deontay Wilder is a freakishly talented athlete at 6’7”, too big and powerful for most men who walk the earth. He ruled the heavyweight division from 2015 until Tyson Fury entered the picture. After their draw in 2018, Wilder made two more defenses, both via KO, before losing his title in the rematch with Fury in 2020.
Fury, at 6’9″, appears to be the freak that nobody can handle. His boxing skills, while not to be confused with Sugar Ray Robinson, are daunting for anyone in the heavyweight division, and if he can survive Wilder’s powerful right hands (he did) it is hard to imagine him losing to any of the current heavyweights. He will have to be outworked. Putting him to sleep doesn’t appear to be on the table.
