Fury Vs Wilder: Unfinished Business
Image courtesy of Bleacher Report
By TORI CHOO ‘21
On February 22nd, Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder in their highly awaited WBC Heavyweight Championship rematch. After a 2018 match ended in a controversial draw, the two boxers finally ended their unfinished business, leaving Fury as champion.
Thousands of people watched as Tyson Fury, a Brit, beat American Deontay Wilder at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The arena was sold out after much promotion, with a crowd of over 15,000 spectators.
Fans have been anticipating this event since the 2018 fight ended with a split decision by judges. Mexican judge Alejandro Rochin scored the match 115-111 with Wilder winning, Canadian judge Robert Tapper scored it 114-110 with Fury winning, and British judge Phil Edwards scored the match a 113-113 draw.
Fury remains undefeated as he holds his WBC World Heavyweight Championship belt. Wilder, who had previously held the WBC championship title since 2015, left with a damaged ear and a hurt reputation.
During the rematch, Fury out-threw Wilder 267-141 and was also more efficient, landing 82 punches compared to Wilder’s 34. After a fairly even first two rounds, Fury took control in the third round, knocking Wilder down with a right hook. Wilder persisted, but late in the fifth round, he was knocked down again by a body shot. Fury continued to dominate the match as he controlled the ring with his height and weight advantages.
Wilder ended up losing in the seventh round of the match when his trainer, Mark Breland, threw in the towel. Breland made the decision to call it quits because Wilder had been knocked down twice and had sustained multiple major shots. Unhappy with his trainer’s decision, Wilder later said in a statement to ESPN, "If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I'd rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.”
After this controversial end, Wilder has decided to keep Breland as part of his staff, saying that “my corner and my team have my best interest at heart. Mark Breland is still a part of Team Wilder, and our team looks forward to preparing for the [trilogy fight].”
Wilder blames his uniform, a 40-pound steel costume, for the loss. “[Fury] didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is ... that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder said to Yahoo Sports. “I didn’t have no legs from the beginning of the fight. In the third round, my legs were just shot all the way through. But I’m a warrior and people know that I’m a warrior."
However, Wilder has already exercised his right to a rematch: a third fight has been scheduled for July 2020.