Sophia Michaels
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury’s rematch in Las Vegas was one of the biggest heavyweight fights of the last decade, and certainly the biggest in recent memory in the United States. The two undefeated fighters, Wilder at 42-0-1 and Fury at 29-0-1, were looking to avenge their draw from their first meeting, when Fury dominated early but got put down in the final round by Wilder, only to somehow manage to get back to his feet and survive to the bell.
The build to the fight was lengthy and the two did everything in their power to draw attention to their bout in Vegas, from a scuffle at their press conference to a monstrous press tour over the last few weeks. When it came time for them to enter the ring at about midnight ET, they made sure everyone knew it was going to be a show with their entrances, as Fury arrived being carried on a throne.
Wilder, who always wears masks to the ring, took it to a new level with his mask and outfit for the ring walk, as both fighters showed they were here to entertain from the jump.
Fury got out to a strong start, peppering Wilder with his strong jab and keeping Deontay from being able to size him up for his big right hand.
Wilder isn’t known for strong starts to fights, but he was active early, it was just better from Fury, who then took things to another level, sending the champ down in the third round with a thunderous right hand.
While he managed to make it to the end of the round and through the fourth, Wilder was on shaky legs and was struggling to find any consistent offense against the Fury pressure. In the fifth, Wilder was sent down again with a left to the head and a straight left to the body as Wilder covered up.
He, again, survived the round, but in the corner you could see the damage that first knockdown had taken on him as he was bleeding from the ear.
In the sixth round, Fury was once again dominating the action and during a clinch licked blood off of Wilder’s neck in a disgusting moment.
In the seventh round, Wilder’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel as Wilder, who showed some incredible resolve to continue fighting, just never got his legs back and wasn’t showing that he was ever going to produce the spectacular moment he needed at that point to get a win.
As such, Fury picked up the victory by TKO to earn the WBC Heavyweight Championship and remain the undefeated lineal champ in a comprehensive performance. If there were any doubt, the power punching numbers tell the story of a staggeringly lopsided bout, as Fury landed three more power punches than Wilder threw.
It was a truly spectacular performance as Fury left no doubt and avoided the mistake of other Wilder opponents in the past, which is letting up after early success. He maintained the pressure, threw big punches, and never let Wilder find his balance to have a chance to land that right hand that’s ended so many other fights.
After the fight, Fury celebrated by belting out “American Pie,” while Wilder said he wished his corner hadn’t stopped the fight so he could “go out on my shield” if he had to go out.
If his corner hadn’t stopped it, there’s a good chance referee Kenny Bayless would have anyways, as he simply wasn’t showing much of anything and you’d find few objective observers who felt they made the wrong call.
Written by: Uproxx
