Sports
Deontay Wilder Wishes His Corner Hadn’t Stopped Fight in TKO Loss to Tyson Fury
Isaac Brekken/Associated PressTyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder via seventh-round TKO in a battle between two undefeated heavyweight boxing champions Saturday in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.Wilder’s corner threw in the towel on his behalf, but the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native said post-fight that he wanted to go out on his own terms:ESPN @espn“I just wish…
Isaac Brekken/Associated Press
Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder via seventh-round TKO in a battle between two undefeated heavyweight boxing champions Saturday in Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Wilder's corner threw in the towel on his behalf, but the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native said post-fight that he wanted to go out on his own terms:
ESPN @espn
“I just wish that my corner would’ve let me go out on my shield. I’m a warrior. That’s what I do.”
Deontay Wilder after losing to Tyson Fury. #WilderFury2 https://t.co/5QpChJgjK8
Fury dominated the match: Per CompuBox, he landed 58 power punches on the night, or 20 fewer than when he and Wilder fought to a split decision in December 2018.
Fury was also dominating on the scorecards at the time of the TKO, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
Kevin Iole @KevinI
Official scores https://t.co/oxjHqQ6rAU
The judges had the fight 59-52, 58-53 and 59-52 in Fury's favor. One judge gave Wilder the edge in the second round. Otherwise, Fury was deemed the better fighter throughout.
Although Wilder was upset, throwing in the towel was likely the right decision.
Fury was pummeling a near-defenseless Wilder in the corner at the time, and that was after at least one boxing analyst (Chisanga Malata of the Daily Express) posited that the boxer's corner should consider the act:
Chisanga Malata @Chisanga_Malata
Deontay Wilder’s corner really need to think about their’s man’s safety and consider throwing the towel in.
His equilibrium is clearly f**ked by the shots Fury has landed and his burst eardrum. #WilderFury2
It happened, and Wilder lost his first fight in 44 professional bouts.
As for what's ahead, Wilder has the right to a rematch, with Mike Coppinger of The Athletic laying out the parameters:
“There's a bi-lateral rematch clause, so Deontay Wilder will have 30 days to exercise his right to an immediate encore encounter for a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury that could take place in the summer,” Coppinger tweeted.
“But after such a one-sided fight, will we see a third bout?”
For now, there's no disputing that Fury is the world's best heavyweight.
Subscribe to Centenunlimited news
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe