Tyson Fury won the title that he said has evaded him for some time. He out-boxed Deontay Wilder in all seven rounds before Wilder’s corner threw in the towel. While Wilder wanted to continue, the corner did the right thing as he was wearing a lot of damage going into round seven. Seven is a lucky number, so here are seven takeaways from the event.
Enough to go around
A joint venture between FOX Sports PPV and ESPN+ PPV for heavyweight boxing. While naysayers think it’s due to boxing losing its popularity, the lead up shows that it is quite the opposite. With both men taking home a guaranteed $25 million each, there are likely no losers in the long run for boxing.
No calm before the storm
While both Wilder and Fury were cordial leading up to Saturday night, once fight week began and both men were near each other it was clear that they were both on fight mode at the first press conference. The popular saying in combat sports as it compares to other sports is, “you don’t play boxing” and this match and the sports history has shown no one is playing games, in the sport of violence.
Overly cautious? Or just hype?
With two men scheduled to try to remove the other from consciousness, banning them from staring at one another at weigh ins was likely a ploy to drum up more business for the event. In the entire history of combat sports, there have been plenty of pushes and shoves at faceoffs to know it’s just a sample of what’s to come on fight night. The Nevada State Athletic Commission was just being weird.
There’s entrances and there’s grand entrances
The entrances from both Fury and Wilder for this event topped anything they have ever done before. Wilder’s mask had eyes that lit up with a red light, and Fury foreshadowing his win, was carried in with a crown and sitting on his throne.
Under Pressure
Fury did something that many of Wilder’s opponents haven’t been able to do before. As soon as the first round began, Fury ran out to meet Wilder and put pressure on him. He made Wilder carry his weight in the clinch and that seemed to fatigue him as the rounds went on.
Sweet science
One thing that has come up often when it comes to Wilder and Fury is, Wilder is the power puncher and Fury is the boxer. While Fury may have pressured Wilder enough to suffocate any power he could generate, he seemed to suffocate his own combinations as well. Still, the fact that Fury adjusted his style to counter Wilder’s power showed that boxing is called the “sweet science” for a reason and Fury absolutely mastered it.
Three times the charm?
Wilder’s corner threw in the towel and he wasn’t pleased that they did, even if it was the right call considering how the bout was going. With the first meeting a draw and the second to Fury, a third bout is certainly warranted. However when talking about heavyweight boxing, Anthony Joshua’s name will always come with a question mark when looking at future options.
If a trilogy does happen, fans should know in 30 days and Wilder has the clause to invoke a rematch, should he decide to do so. Outside of the thunderous right he hit Fury with in the first round, Wilder was losing on the scorecards and in the output department. While a trilogy would certainly have fans tuning in, there are other fights for both men to take rather than go straight to a trilogy fight.
What do you think will be the next big match in boxing?
