Tuesday, November 24, 2020

THE AWFUL BITTERNESS OF DEONTAY WILDER: HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A FIGHTER BEATEN AND SCORNED!!!

By Peter Silkov

Writer For The Boxing Glove.



Who can tell exactly when it happened. Was it that brutal right hand that dumped Wilder to the canvas in the 3rd round? Was it the body punch that floored him two rounds later? Or was it one of the other multitude of punches that Tyson Fury landed upon Deontay Wilder on that February 22nd night earlier this year? Somewhere amid this brutal beating (and make no mistake, it was a brutal beating), Deontay Wilder lost his touch with reality. And it seems that he hasn't regained it yet.

Maybe it began during the ring introductions before the beginning of their second fight last February. Despite Wilder being the 'home' fighter, it soon became clear from the imbalance of cheers received by each man that Tyson Fury, not Deontay Wilder, was the Las Vegas crowd's clear favorite. At the moment when Wilder, the defending WBC world heavyweight champion (though he was already considered by many to be a 'cheese' champion after his 'draw' with Fury in their first fight) received more boos than cheers when his name was announced, it was hard not to feel a little sorry for him. 

Indeed after the fight was halted halfway through the 7th round, Wilder was a sorry sight, with his face swollen and misshapen and his blood splattering from his nose, ears, and mouth. Tyson Fury had done what he had spent the previous months saying he would do; he had out-punched and overpowered the puncher. Fourteen months after giving Wilder a boxing lesson, but being robbed of victory by a scandalous draw, Fury had taken matters out of the unreliable (to be polite) hands of the judges by adopting the role of the aggressor rather than the counter puncher. In doing so, Tyson had proved that he could punch with power if he wanted to and that Deontay Wilder was at a loss when compelled to fight going backward. Deontay had been given another lesson in fighting by 'The Gypsy King,' only this time it was a much more painful lesson than in their first encounter. 


Yet Wilder had gone out on his shield. No one watching this fight from the 3rd round onwards would criticize him for being pulled out, despite the old-time tradition of a heavyweight champion being expected to lose his title via either through the judges or being rendered senseless and prostrate upon the canvas. Indeed as he took his beating, Wilder showed the kind of courage and toughness that fighters usually hope they are not called upon to display. It was the courage of a beaten man who refused to stay down. Wilder was essentially beaten in the 3rd round by Fury and probably should have been pulled out of the fight after the 5th round at the latest. At times after the 3rd round, Fury seemed almost unwilling to continue handing out the punishment, as his opponent staggered and failed in front of him, groggy and bleary-eyed, and barely able to raise his arms in a pitiful attempt at defense. 


The fact that Wilder protested when Mark Breland finally threw in the towel in the 7th round was at first yet another display of his stubborn courage. He had been beaten and beaten badly, but at that moment, it had been an admirable defeat. 


If only someone could explain to Wilder that there is no shame in an honorable defeat. It was some time before the battered Wilder was able to leave the ring that night, and ever since he left, his behavior and pronouncements have become less and less admirable. If ever there was a prize for the bitterest loser in boxing, Deontay Wilder would win it hands down. (Indeed, rumor has it that as you read this, the venerable WBC are working on a nice new shiny belt with which to award Deontay for his courageous excess of sour grapes!)


Deontay Wilder will not go down in history as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, nor will he go down as one of the division's greatest ever punchers (despite what some deluded fans might still say). However, there is a strong possibility that he will go down as the worst loser in the history of the Heavyweight division.


The hail of increasingly smelly sour grapes began to fall almost as soon as Wilder had been helped back to his dressing room, following his pugilistic spanking, by Tyson Fury.

First, we heard that Wilder's trainer, the much-respected former Olympic Gold medalist and world welterweight champion, Mark Breland, had been wrong to pull Wilder out in the 7th round. Not only had he been wrong, but his actions had been a betrayal against Wilder. This is despite the overall majority of those who witnessed the match feeling that, if anything, Wilder should have been pulled out earlier rather than later and that Breland's actions may have saved Wilder's long-term health, not to mention any remaining boxing career. 

 

The strength of Wilder's ill-feeling against the man who had guided him to world title glory was illustrated by the sight of Breland, in the aftermath of his fighter's defeat, standing weeping outside Wilder's locked dressing room door—literally locked out of the room. Wilder would go on to publicly fire Breland from his team, despite Breland being the only member of his entourage who might be able to turn his career around at this point.


As the weeks following the fight began to pile up, the mountain of sour grapes steadily piled up alongside them. Moving on from his crass treatment of Breland to a more creative line, Wilder was soon saying that his defeat was down to his outlandish ring walk costume, which had been equipped with some rather large batteries whose weight had left him befuddled and drained before he had even taken a punch!

"He didn't hurt me at all, but the simple fact is … that my uniform was way too heavy for me," Wilder said. "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.

 

The fact that Wilder has made a habit of wearing such costumes to the ring for most of his previous title defenses was conveniently ignored. Also ignored is Wilder's practice of training in a weighted suit, which weighs as much, if not more, than the elaborate disaster in which he entered the ring for the second Fury match. Indeed, in a podcast interview sometime before the Fury fights, Wilder talked openly with Joe Rogan about the benefits of training in a weighted suit.

"We want to activate the fast-twitch muscles," Wilder said. "We do everything with rapid speed; if I'm doing anything that consists of me moving my feet, it's sprinting. Now I wear a 45-pound vest on me as well as doing all my exercises and everything that I do to have that extra weight on me."


But if we thought that the costume excuse was bizarre, we hadn't seen (or heard) nothing yet. After his ring walk costume excuse had been met with a mixture of polite incredulity and outright derision, Wilder's reasons for his defeat took a darker, altogether nastier turn.

While remaining secluded and hidden from the public, Wilder began to issue accusations of Tyson Fury cheating, not just in their second fight but in their first one as well. Wilder accused Fury of having had his gloves tampered with, claiming that his hands had been unbandaged beneath his gloves. To support this claim, Wilder and some of his shadowy supporters released photos of Fury's gloves supposedly looking 'floppy' during the fight. To anyone with even half-decent knowledge of the rigorous procedures that a fighter's gloves go through before they end up on a fighter's hands at fight time, Wilder's accusations were ludicrous.

Gloves are closely guarded before any fight, but especially before title fights. A fighter will then be watched by members of the local boxing commission and also by members of his opponent's team, as he has his hands taped, bandaged, and finally gloved up. All gloves then go through an examination after the fight as well. Despite boxing's reputation as a 'redlight' sport, cases of fighters having their gloves altered before a fight are actually remarkably rare. In years past, fighters used to be gloved up in the ring directly before a fight, with a member of the opponent's team overlooking proceedings. One of the few cases of glove tampering to come to light is the notorious Luis Resto vs. Billy Collins debacle in the mid-80s, when Luis Resto had the padding removed from his gloves prior to his fight with Billy Collins Jr, and went on to inflict career-ending injuries upon Collins, before being exposed in the fight's aftermath after Collins father shook Resto's still gloved hand and found himself squeezing bare knuckles. The measures that have been adopted since this dark incident, which remains a terrible blemish upon boxing's history (especially when taking into account the lack of any compensation which Collins received despite losing his career) has made doubly sure that when fights are overseen as they should be by the relevant authorities, any kind of dirty tricks with fighters gloves should remain impossible.

This was a major reason why Antonio Margarito was caught in 2009 when trying to enter his match against Shane Mosely with doctored gloves. Margarito was caught when officials overseeing him being gloved up spotted that he had wet pads and plaster secreted within his bandages. Although the fight went ahead (after Margarito had been safely re-gloved), Margarito's standing in boxing was never the same again, and he was later, alongside his trainer, suspended for a while from the sport (it should have been for life!)

So the chances of Fury entering the ring with doctored gloves is highly improbable. It would mean that his team and members of Wilder's team, plus the Nevada boxing commission officials, would all have to be in on the conspiracy together. And those photos that Wilder and some of his misguided followers have banded around are also nothing to do with any proof either. They simply reveal a picture of how a boxing glove can look distorted at the point of impact, just as a fighter's face often looked distorted in photos under the weight and physical shock of taking a punch.

 

As the months have gone on, Wilder's allegations of Fury cheating have grown more and more wild (excuse the pun!) and seem to be increasingly the ravings of someone who has lost touch with reality, rather than the cries of a man who has been wronged.


The fact that Wilder's allegations have jumped about to almost every aspect of the fight tends to underline how tenuous a relationship each allegation has to reality and truth. Even Wilder's determination to enter the ring with Fury for the third time must also be questioned, despite his protestations that it is Fury who is attempting to duck out of a third encounter. 


First, they were due to fight in the summer, but when Wilder showed a disinclination to move ahead with final plans for the match, a date was set for December. Again, however, Wilder and his team were unresponsive and did not communicate with Fury or his team to finalize negotiations. In mid-October, Fury announced that he was tired of waiting around for Wilder and that he would move ahead and fight someone else in December. Cue Wilder suddenly leaping out of the shadows in which he has been hidden since February and issuing a rambling attack on Fury via a video message which was by turns, funny, sad, outrageous, and ultimately rather disturbing.

In his first public appearance since his defeat by Fury, Wilder repeated his allegations about Fury's gloves and expanded his repertoire by issuing a whole raft of new claims. These included a new variation on the glove allegations; Wilder contended that Fury had been holding an egg or rather an egg-shaped object in one of his gloves during the fight!

"I highly believe you put something hard in your glove, something the size and the shape of an egg weight. It's the reason why the side of my face swelled up in an egg-weight form. And it left a dent in my face, as well".


But it gets better. Wilder also included amongst his ramblings that his water had been spiked! by none other than Mark Breland!

"My water was tampered with, bro," Wilder said. "I know what it's like to have some heavy workout and how you feel after. You know what I'm saying? S–t, I can have sex and still go play ball and dunk and do what I got to do. But this feeling right here, it was a different feeling. It's like I had no control of my body. My legs was weak and stuff like that. Although my body was weak, my mind was very strong. "When do you ever see me go down on a body shot? He didn't even hit me; he pushed me. When did you ever see me falling back like that? When did you ever see me not being the aggressor?"

Added to this, lamented Wilder, the referee Kenny Bayless was biased in favor of Fury and under the influence of alcohol. In addition to this, Fury placed a gypsy curse upon him before the fight and caused Wilder's ears to bleed by scratching them with his fingernails!

Wilder's attack upon the honesty of his trainer Mark Breland is especially reprehensible as Breland is respected throughout boxing as one of the game's nice guys with an impeccable character, who has given years of his life to training Wilder. While the 'Bronze Bomber's deficiencies in the ring are all too visible now after being exposed twice by Fury, the success he has enjoyed up till now in his career is mostly down to the training he received from Breland. 


Deontay's accusations that the referee showed favoritism to Fury during the fight is also wide off the mark, especially when you consider that the referee inexplicably took a point away from Fury during the 5th round while also managing to give the already badly beaten Wilder a significant break in the process. This practice of referee's giving Wilder a breather in fights when he is hurt is not an isolated incident; take a peek at Wilder vs. Ortiz 1.


Wilder's most recent allegations (at the time of writing) regarding Fury placing a Gypsy curse upon him and also making his ears bleed with his fingernails are too absurd to even give a serious mention. Rumour has it, though, that Tyson Fury is now being lined up to play Wolverine in the next X-MEN movie.

Wilder's blizzard of bizarre allegations has left Tyson Fury himself shocked and scratching his head:

"I think he has lost his marbles! First of all, it was the suit; then it was the bicep injury, then his trainer was on our team, then the referee was against him, then I had weights in my gloves… 'Now someone has spiked his water… It's one of those things, isn't it."


Wilder has begun to resemble a fly fisher in many ways, flinging out almost random excuses and defamatory allegations weekly while waiting to see who in the media will take a bite.


Sadly there are those who have jumped upon the Wilder bandwagon and tried to support his allegations. It's a disappointing fact about human nature that if you say a lie which is big enough, loud enough, for long enough, some will come to believe it. We have seen this in today's politics. For some, the truth doesn't exist; the truth is what you want it to be and what you can make other people believe. Certain people can be talked into believing almost anything, especially when it reinforces their own prejudices and personal agendas.


Despite his tremendous comeback from depression and substance abuse and his brave comments about his mental health problems, which have inspired so many people with similar issues, there are still those who would like to see Tyson Fury fail and fall. In many ways, his face still doesn't fit, and it never will for certain people.


However, most of the serious media and boxing writers have made their feelings known about Wilder and his allegations. What respect he did have has been irretrievably lost in many quarters. Yet certain people will seek to use his claims for their own ends, with no real care for the well being of Wilder. ESPN now seems to be eager for a 3rd fight between Wilder and Fury and has blocked a planned Dec 5th fight Fury was to have in London against an unknown opponent. 


It seems for some tawdry allegations of cheating add up to dollar signs. A fight which many were not interested in seeing after Fury's one-sided victory in February has now taken a more inviting appearance thanks to Wilder's allegations. It is a shame to see Wilder forcing his way into the 3rd fight against Fury with defamation.

But does Wilder even want a 3rd fight with Fury himself? After backing out of a December rematch with Fury, there is every chance that Wilder will further delay the rematch beyond the now proposed Feb/March 2021 date. Questions must remain about Wilder's true state of mind and whether he should even be allowed back into the ring at this point. In his recent October video, the random and erratic nature of his allegations and his rambling speech seem to point towards a man who has become unhinged. Is he really in the right state mentally to be allowed inside a boxing ring again?


The clues have always been there that Deontay Wilder is not the most stable of men. There was that skillfully hushed-up incident some years back when he was arrested for beating up an escort and locking her in his hotel closet after a cocaine-fueled sex party went wrong. This case (and the aforementioned escort) suddenly when very quiet and disappeared very quickly. Then there were Wilder's declarations that he wanted a 'body' on his record. An extremely distasteful remark which he made on multiple occasions. Indeed the usually very malleable WBC president Mauricio Saliman was moved to issue Wilder a rather 'stern' public warning about these dark 'boasts.' Most recently, Wilder has declared that Tyson Fury needs to make 'funeral arrangements' when they fight again. We can imagine the fuss that would explode had Fury issued such distasteful threats towards Wilder; he would probably have been banned from the sport if he had behaved in the same way.

Let's be honest here Deontay Wilder is not a classy guy. Indeed class and Wilder belong on different planets. Perhaps some of Wilder's bitterness comes from his lack of popularity at home, in the United States, and the humiliation he must feel deep inside knowing that it was only when he defended his WBC title against Tyson Fury that he finally achieved the kind of notoriety he had been craving. Not only that, but the attention which he finally received was bittersweet, as most observers perceived Fury to be the rightful 'winner' of their first fight, with Wilder holding onto his title with an unfair draw. The recognition which Tyson Fury received in the aftermath of their first encounter, for his amazing return from addiction and depression, and his recovery from THAT knockdown in the 12th and last round, left Wilder pretty much playing second fiddle to Fury from their first fight onwards. The truth is that for all his protestations that he had done Fury a favor by 'giving him a shot' at his WBC title, Wilder was having trouble bringing in enough fans to fill up a warehouse prior to his matches with Fury. 

Wilder vs. Fury 1 was the first time that Deontay Wilder had been able to generate a PPV title defense. Fury gave Wilder his biggest audience and his biggest purse's. Add to this that certainly for their first fight, Wilder believed he was taking on a fighter ripe for the taking after Fury's years of drug and alcohol addiction, mental health problems, and inactivity. It's not hard to imagine Wilder's disappointment when his big plans blew up in his face. The fight, which was supposed to make him a star, instead saw his flaws exposed to the world by a man who had recently lost ten stone in 12 months and was taking part in his first competitive fight in over three years. The controversial draw saw Fury hailed as the morale victor and Wilder's stock crashed.

The run-up to the rematch saw Wilder coming out with allegations that Fury had failed to beat the count in that 12th round; he also tried to claim that Fury was concussed from that fight and that he had 'ruined' him. If these were mind games aimed at disturbing Fury, they failed miserably. Then there was the rematch, and the only prediction which came true was Fury's prediction that he would force the fight and take the verdict out of the judges' hands by stopping Wilder this time around.


Tyson Fury has beaten Deontay Wilder twice, not just physically but mentally as well.
The only real truth that has emerged from Wilder's recent ramblings is that he is a broken man who cannot accept that Tyson Fury is the better fighter and has beaten him twice fairly and squarely.

 
Is Wilder playing mind games with Fury with all these accusations?. Perhaps, but if these allegations were borne out of a rational attempt to throw Fury off his own mindset, you would think that they wouldn't be so random and illogical. The more excuses and accusations Wilder has come up with, the more he has simply exposed himself to ridicule and displayed just how damaged he has been, mentally and emotionally, by his fights with Fury. Like a certain world-renowned politician, Wilder's inability to accept defeat and his attempt to hide behind defamatory lies and accusations has reduced what standing he had amongst everyone except his most loyal/desperate of followers.

The truth is that a 3rd fight with Fury is probably the last thing that Wilder needs right now. And deep down, Wilder himself knows this, and for this reason, I expect Wilder to duck out of any February or March fight and seek another postponement. In the real world the only way that Wilder can punish Fury is by keeping him out of the ring and hanging on for the 3rd fight between them, which will probably never happen. I expect Wilder to string this out for as long as he can until he is either paid to step aside or is finally given his marching orders by ESPN after yet another failure to agree upon a date for the third match. By then, we could be into the middle of next year, and Fury will have been inactive for almost 18 months with the AJ fight plans put into a spin.


In the increasingly weird and wacky world of Deontay Wilder, keeping Fury out of the ring waiting for a rematch that will probably never happen is the only way he can gain some payback for the defeats and humiliation he has suffered against Fury.


 

Although losing his proposed December 5th homecoming fight must be a frustration to Tyson Fury, he shows no sign of letting Wilder's antics or accusations throwing him off track, which says a lot for the kind of condition that Fury is in these days, both physically and mentally.


He has even expressed concern for the mental state of Wilder and offered to give his help if asked:

"At the moment, I think Deontay Wilder has bigger issues to deal with than boxing.I am quite worried for his health and well being.I know he won't have wanted to lose after being an undefeated champion for so long, but there comes a time when you just have to accept it and move on.Wilder does not seem able to do that, he is holding on to malice feelings and making excuses, and I am concerned for his mental well being because some of his statements are ludicrous. But I am only a phone call away; if I can help him, then I will because it seems this fight has really affected his well being."


Ironically, the psychological and physical damage which Tyson Fury has inflicted on Deontay Wilder is nothing compared to what the bitterness inside the former champion has allowed him to do to himself. When a man loses all vestiges of honor, integrity, and self-awareness, he has truly become a beaten man.


Bitterness is the ugliest of all defeats.


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Saturday, May 9, 2020

Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend: The Boxing Glove Book Review





 


The Boxing Glove Book Review: Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend.
Written By Fiaz Rafiq

Review by Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove



The name of Muhammad Ali conjures up memories and emotions for so many people, perhaps even more so today, almost four years since his passing than in the later years of his life. It is not that Ali became forgotten in old age like so many stars of the past, far from it. Despite his well-publicized health problems, Ali was still very much an active public figure right up to the end of his life. Yet since his death, interest in Ali has overflowed, as if the world realized just what it had lost, and became conscious of the void that his departure has left.

Ali was a special athlete, not only the greatest world heavyweight champion the boxing world has ever seen but also the most visible and unique. Ali possessed a charisma and an ability to touch people on an emotional level way beyond the bounds of not just boxing, but sport in general. This was his greatest gift, greater and more profound even than his boxing skills.

Four years after his death, Muhammad Ali still holds a fascination for his fans and followers alike. His fame has long since passed from that of a simple sports star to the level of an icon. Almost 40 years since his final fight, Muhammad Ali is remembered and loved for his post-boxing role of a peace ambassador as much as he is remembered for his legendary exploits inside the ring. In an irony which sums up the complexity of this many-layered man, Muhammad Ali's life journey saw him go from being the heavyweight champion of the world, and an often divisive and controversial figure, to becoming a walking symbol of love and peace.

In his final years, when Parkinson's disease had robbed him of his marvelous ability to verbally communicate, Ali could still move people as deeply as when he was the greatest orator and showman that the sports world had seen in the 20th century, with just his physical presence and his almost beatific silence. It is a transformation unmatched within the sporting world.

Today Muhammad Ali is loved and cherished by people who were not even born until he had long since left the fighting arena. Even those who otherwise hold no fondness for boxing love Muhammad Ali.


In the midst of this enduring appeal, there has been an increased appearance of books dedicated to the man and his life. Boxing and boxers have always been a favorite subject for writers, and in Ali, they have their greatest subject. No sportsman has ever been written about as often as Muhammad Ali, and you may wonder when is the well of stories going to run dry. How many times do we want to read about Ali's conquering of 'the ugly bear' Sonny Liston, or his dismantling of the seemingly invincible monster George Foreman, or those ferocious fights with his most bitter rival Joe Frazier? The answer lays in the quality of the literature being written about 'The Greatest.'

The vast majority of books written about 'The Greatest' are excellent reads. Then again, it should be no surprise that such an outstanding career, filled with so many accomplishments and controversies should result in the formation of such a great subject matter.

Another gift Ali has bestowed upon his followers and all of his would-be biographers are the many layers of his life outside of the ring, as well as within it. Ali was a people person, who loved social interaction, and due to his great fame and social charisma became a magnet for people throughout his life, from celebrities, artists, actors, musicians, and fellow sportsmen to the ordinary person on the street. In an era long before Facebook or Instagram, Muhammad Ali was the most recognized face and well-known voice in the world.

In “Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend”, Fiaz Rafiq looks at his subject from the point of view of his social interaction with the people around him. “The Life Of A Legend” is a series of intimate profiles of 'The Greatest' by some of those who knew him best. From the earliest days of his boxing career, right up until the final years of his life. Conducted in the manner of a series of question and answer interviews, the interviews are contained in four distinct sections: 'Family', 'The Journalists', 'The Opponents', and 'Friends and Associates'. Rafiq has gained access to an impressive array of Ali's confidants, friends, family, boxing associates, and former opponents. Among those interviewed are four of Ali's children, his only son, Muhammad Ali Jr., and daughters Rasheda, Hana, and Maryum. Also included are interviews from former opponents, such as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Joe Bugner, Ron Lyle, Chuck Wepner, and Richard Dunn plus journalists Bert Sugar, Robert Lipsyte, and Jerry Izenberg, amongst others. There is also a collection of eclectic characters in the 'friends and associates' section of the book, including Ali's old trainer Angelo Dundee, and the man he helped become boxing's most powerful promoter, Don King, promoter Butch Lewis, plus fellow boxers Sugar Ray Leonard and Evander Holyfield who both cite Ali as being their inspiration.

Originally released in 2010, under the title “Muhammad Ali: Conversations” the reissuing of this book is an entertaining and at times, moving addition to the many books about Ali. Even the Ali expert will find stories and insights into 'The Greatest' which he didn't know of previously.

One of the poignant aspects of this book is that a number of those interviewed, like Ali himself, are no longer with us.

The stories and anecdotes, which they share about Ali, are varied and enlightening, showing us different sides of the man whom many of us feel that we know so much already, yet still want to learn more about. A common thread that comes through in all these accounts is Ali's fondness for human company and his warmth and sense of humor, and then perhaps most tellingly, his innate humbleness. For all of his braggadocio in front of the camera and inside the ring, Muhammad Ali the man was modest and down to earth. These traits increased as he grew older and ever more spiritual. This was a man who truly loved people, and always strived to give something positive to all those that he came into contact with. For all his fame and material riches, outside of the boxing ring, Ali saw himself as just another man, a normal person, but one who had been given the ability to reach so many others in a positive way.

As former 'Time' and 'Sports Illustrated' Photographer Neil Leifer tells Fiaz, when asked about how Ali treated everybody the same:

'I was working for the most important sports magazine in America, and he treated me wonderfully. I watched a kid from a high school newspaper come up to him and photograph him, and he treated him the same way! He treated everyone the same way. He just liked people!'.

The book also gives some interesting insights into Ali's own view of himself in his later years as he increasingly struggled with Parkinson's syndrome, such as in this conversation which he had with former opponent Joe Bugner when they met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. As Bugner recalled to Fiaz:

'You know what was incredible? He looked me in my eye, there were no tears or anything, he says to me, "Joe Bugner if you ever utter the words 'I feel sorry for Ali' or you tell me 'I feel sorry how you turned out', I will never be your friend again" I looked up to him and said, "Muhammad how can I feel sorry for you, you beat me twice!" He pulled on a beautiful smile on his face, and said, "Look, Ok. We'll leave it at that".

Ali was such an idol of the sport during his boxing career, he was the best thing that ever happened to the heavyweight division, bringing life and interest to both the heavyweights and boxing in general, which has seldom been matched in other era's. Ali's opponents also gained a level of attention and the kind of paydays that they would never have achieved against anyone else.

In his interview with Fiaz, former heavyweight contender Chuck Wepner talks about his 1975 world title fight with 'The Greatest' (when Ali made the first defense of his second title reign after his defeat of George Foreman) and the impact that his fight against Ali for the title had upon his life:

'The most amazing experience in my life was fighting Muhammad Ali. All these years later, like I said, I'm still here. I'm still Chuck Wepner. Everybody calls me 'champ' because I held a few different championships. I owe all this to Muhammad Ali because if I had fought anybody else except Muhammad Ali, I would never ever have got any exposure and the adulation that I get right now. I can thank Ali for this. I love the guy. I think he was one of the greatest human beings that was ever born.'

Another part of Ali which comes through very strongly in “Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend” is Ali the family man. Despite his worldwide fame, away from the crowds and the bright lights, Ali was devoted to his children. This sentiment comes through very strongly in Fiaz's interviews with Ali's children. Daughter Maryum remembers her father's playful side:

'My father was a practical joker. He lived in a big house so it had long dark hallways. He loved scaring us. He got a kick out of that. He would wait in the dark hallways and we would walk down and he'd scare us. He'd just laugh. He loved playing practical jokes and he was a very fun-loving person. He liked to play with his kids a lot. A lot of parents don't do that.'

Most recently Fiaz collaborated with Muhammad Ali's brother Rahaman Ali, On the book “My Brother, Muhammad Ali”, Fiaz's admiration for Ali is strong, yet he allows his interviewees' full freedom in their recollections of 'The Greatest'.
'It was imperative to talk to those who were very close who had first-hand stories. Family, close friends, and well-known opponents. Also some of the best sports journalists who covered Ali and his career in his peak were interviewed to create a balanced portrait of The Greatest. As a biographer, the first-hand source material is vital, I believe. And I can say with great conviction that I have been very fortunate to talk to so many close people to the iconic figures I've churned out biographies on. This, I think, is the framework for any writer who's quest is to write a biography on a global figure of the magnitude of Ali.'

In this book, we are treated to intimate anecdotes about what it was like to share life with 'The Greatest'. The main thread that emerges overall is just how deeply and profoundly Ali was loved, not just by his family, but by all of those that were acquainted with him.

“Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend” is a colorful tapestry of interviews from people who have often shared some of Muhammad Ali's most important and profound life experiences. It also manages to cover every aspect of Ali's life and boxing career, from his earliest days boxing to his 'exile' from the sport and battle with the government in the late 60s, to his later boxing career, and post-retirement life. Some of the interviewees are well known in their own right, while others are more eclectic.

There are moving tales of Ali's generosity to his friends, such as when sportswriter Jerry Izenberg recalls how Ali handed him the torch that he lit the Olympic flame at the Atlanta Olympics:
'He opened his closet, and there it was his Olympic torch. Now he takes the torch and puts it in my hands. That torch meant a lot to him but he gave it to me. And I was very very moved.'

Fiaz has pulled together a varied line up of personalities to talk about Ali, but while they might vary in their backgrounds and the place in which they occupied in Ali's life, together they all contribute to a sympathetic and balanced portrayal of a man who will be remembered as the most loved person and admired person of the 20th century.

Fiaz himself is acutely aware of Ali's importance, which goes far beyond the realms of just boxing or even sport itself. 'Of course, Muhammad Ali is more than a sportsman. He has had an indelible impact on pop culture. His association with The Nation of Islam, refusing to go to Vietnam and for what he stood for as far as racial equality goes, all part of 20th-century history. So all these elements are part of who Ali was, and it was these non-sporting areas that really allowed me to appreciate this great iconic figure and something I felt equally if not more important to explore when putting together his life story in an oral biography form.'

In her foreword to this biography Ali's daughter Rasheda outlines her hopes for both this book and the enduring legacy of her father:
'What made my dad the greatest was his inexplicable talents in the ring, but most of all the love he had for his people. It was incredibly spiritual how he made others, especially minorities and African-Americans, feel about themselves. What he stood for and how he inspired the world to be great and do great things will continue to impact the very foundation of our hearts. I hope this oral biography helps to inspire others to not only love themselves, but make a difference in others' lives, and encourage us to be the best version of ourselves'.

Altogether “Muhammad Ali: The Life Of A Legend” is yet another welcome addition to the many works written about 'The Greatest.' Sometimes you can't have too much of a good or rather a great thing.





"Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend by Fiaz Rafiq, Foreword by Rasheda Ali is available in paperback and e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Waterstones, and WHS, and all other general bookstores. Here is the link if you wish to purchase from Amazon.



Amazon USA:

https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Ali-Legend-Fiaz-Rafiq/dp/190971593X 

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Muhammad-Ali-Legend-Fiaz-Rafiq/dp/190971593X

 
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020

KHALID YAFAI VS ROMAN GONZALEZ: GREAT AGAIN! ROMAN GONZALEZ ROLLS BACK THE YEARS




Khalid Yafai vs Roman Gonzalez:
Great Again: Roman Gonzalez Rolls Back The Years
The Big Fight Review
By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove
Greatness. An often overused word in the modern era of boxing, an era where greatness is probably harder to find than in just about any previous generation in the sport's history. Yet amongst the mediocrity and the disappointments greatness is still to be found if you know where to look. Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez is a great fighter. A throwback fighter who would have been comfortable competing in any of the sports past era's. Roman has always had skills that are often overlooked. Little nuances that see him able to slip and block punches while coming forwards in one of his fearsome full-throttle attacks. He has always boxed with a kind of relaxed smoothness that only the greats can carry, champions like Jose Napoles and Roberto Duran had the same relaxed way about them as they moved in to destroy their opposition. As did Roman's fellow countryman, idol and former trainer when he was an amateur, Alexis Arguello.
Yet in recent Years Roman's career had crashed to earth spectacularly, and many of his former supporters had been left wondering if we had seen the end of him.
On Saturday night Roman did something which served to underline his greatness. He came back from defeat. After being written off by so many, Roman became a world champion for the 5th time, (the second time at Super-flyweight) after clinically breaking down Khalid Yafai, to take the WBA world super-flyweight championship.

In an era where that undefeated 0 is often seen as a mark of greatness by itself, no matter whom it has been defended against, many have lost sight of the fact that for almost all great ringmen of the past one abiding facet marking them out as special was their ability to come back from defeat.

In September 2016 Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez was riding high in his career. He had just become the first Nicaraguan boxer to win world championships at four different weights, Minimumweight, Light-flyweight, Flyweight, and Super-flyweight. Gonzalez had also done it the hard way, beating the best in every division rather than cherry-picking a title before quickly moving on to a higher weight. 'Chocolatito's victory over Carlos Cuadras to win the WBC world Super-flyweight title had also solidified Roman's status in boxing as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world, a very rare status for a fighter of the lower weights
Yet just six months after his victory over Cuadras, in what was probably the greatest yet hardest won victory of his career, Gonzalez lost it all. 'Chocolatito' was outpointed after 12 bloody and ferocious rounds by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, losing his WBC world Super-flyweight title, his unbeaten record, and his status as the best fighter in the world pound for pound. What had taken over a decade to build up was gone in one night.
Six months after their first fight Gonzalez met Rungvisai again, on September 9, 2017, and was shockingly knocked out in brutal fashion by the hard-hitting Thai. After he failed to win the rematch in such dramatic fashion, many feared that his days as a top-flight warrior were over. His lack of activity over the past three years seemed to underline this feeling.
Yet on Saturday night, in just his 2nd fight in 17 months, Gonzalez produced a brilliant display of skilled aggression to outhustle, outmaneuver, and outpunch defending champion Khalid Yafai, before finally dispatching him with a clinical right hand in the 9th round.
By coming back to the top like he has, Gonzalez's performance didn't simply revive his career, it has enhanced his legacy. After being unbeaten so long and being seen as indestructible Gonzalez had to face new fears after his defeats, he had to try and regain his stature without his former cloak of invincibility. During this time Gonzalez also had to deal with the sudden death of his long time trainer and father figure Arnulfo Obando just a few months after he had guided Roman to his record 4th world title over Carlos Cuadras. The loss of Obando in his life and in his corner had a devastating effect upon Gonzalez and a strong influence upon what happened in his two matches with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Many fighters, even some of the great ones, fail to rebound from such setbacks, others like Gonzalez do come back, and their return from defeat becomes part of their legacy.
Yafai was brave, yet from early on it was clear that Gonzalez was a level above him. The main question was, did Gonzalez at 32 and with just two fights in 2 and a half years have the fitness and stamina to keep up the terrific work rate that he was unleashing upon the defending champion. Yafai would have been wiser to try and stay on the outside and box but by the fourth round, it was clear that he just couldn't keep away from the little buzzsaw coming at him. Gonzalez came forward constantly, throwing punches with a merciless beautiful rhythm. Even the visible size advantage of the champion did nothing to dissuade 'Chocolatito'.

By the 6th Gonzalez was visibly breaking down the defending champion. Even the opening of a cut over the right eye from an accidental head-butt failed to stem Roman's attacks. If anything they just grew more intense.


The beginning of the end came near the end of the 8th round when a bombardment of blows sent Yafai down for the first time. Although he beat the count it was clear that he didn't have much left, if anything. Roman wasted no time when the bell rang to start the 9th and was soon upon the champion again, and a straight left followed by a swift right hand sent Yafai crashing down onto his back by the ropes, and the referee called the fight off as Yafai struggled to regain his feet.

It was a great victory for Gonzalez after what he has been through over the past 3 years. 'Chocolatito' did more than just win, he gave the kind of performance which seems to indicate that he has a lot more left than people suspected.


Sometimes we can write off the special fighters too quickly because we are so used to them being seemingly unbeatable. Gonzalez seems to have regained his passion and his confidence for fighting. Rather than looking like an old 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez looked pretty much like the old 'Chocolatito'. The man who terrorized four divisions over the course of a decade and 16 world title fights, the man who was once ranked pound for pound the best in boxing.
The victory over Yafai will not instantly return Gonzalez to the top of the pound for pound rankings, and if you wanted to be critical you could say that he took too many punches against Yafai and his own punches were not quite the venomous strikes of lightning which they were a few years ago. One of Gonzalez's main problems at 115 pounds is that he is more often than not facing fighters who look more like natural bantamweights or even featherweights, while he still looked like a slightly puffed up flyweight. It remains to be seen if Roman can overcome this discrepancy in his future fights. The future looks like it will be exciting at 115 pounds. Gonzalez announced straight after his victory that he wants to unify the world titles, the hunger to do great things is still within this little warrior. The other world titleholders at Super-flyweight are Gideon Buthelezi (IBO champion) Kazuto Ioka (WBO champion) Jerwin Ancajas (IBF champion) and Juan Francisco Estrada (WBC champion). By far the most attractive fight available for Gonzalez would be a match with Estrada, who holds the WBC title which once belonged to 'Chocolatito'. The two men have already fought once, back in 2012, when Gonzalez successfully defended his WBA world light-flyweight title against Estrada, winning on points after a fight which is regarded by boxing purists and hardcore followers as one of the fights of the past decade.
A rematch between the two men has ever since been much talked about and much-awaited. Now it may finally happen.
Estrada is now regarded as 'the man' at Super-flyweight after his points victory over 'Chocolatito's nemesis Rungvisai last April. Although he has spent much of his career as one of boxing's best-kept secrets, some now believe that Estrada is the superior boxer to Gonzalez today, even after Gonzalez's impressive victory over Yafai. The Mexican born Estrada is three years younger than Gonzalez, fresher, and the better all-round boxer. He also seems better suited than Gonzalez to the higher weight.
Yet as we saw on Saturday night, you write Roman Gonzalez off at your peril.

Just ask Khalid Yafai.

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Saturday, February 29, 2020

Julio Cesar Martinez vs Jay Harris: Can Harris Upset The Mexican King


Julio Cesar Martinez vs Jay Harris
Can Harris Upset The Mexican King:

Big Fight Preview
By Peter Silkov

Writer For The Boxing Glove



While the match tonight between welterweights Mikey Garcia vs Jessie Vargas is the main event for most people tonight at the Ford Centre, Frisco, Texas, for others the most interesting clashes of the night will be between super flyweights Khalid Yafai and Roman Gonzalez for Yafai's WBA world title and flyweights Julio Cesar Martinez and Jay Harris, for Martinez's WBC world title. Martinez might well be another Mexican great in the making. He is an aggressive and busy fighter, who attacks his opponents like a swarm of bees, and usually beats them down with a ferocious body attack. Martinez can look a little raw at times and can be outboxed for periods, but most of his opponents find that they can only hold him off for a short while. Martinez has already dismantled two British fighters, Andrew Selby and Charkie Edwards, and Jay Harris looks as if he will have his work cut out tomorrow night. Jay is a good boxer, but he will have to produce the form of his life to cause an upset. The odds are against Harris, but as always in boxing, the fact that no one expects him to win might well work for him. Jay is a good enough boxer to cause Martinez some problems early, but a crucial aspect of the match will be if Jay can hold his own when the two men inevitably go toe to toe. If Harris has the strength and power to gain Martinez's respect then he has a chance of pulling off an upset points victory over the cruder fighting Mexican. Martinez's is nicknamed 'El Ray' which translates as 'The King' how he deals with Harris tonight will be a good indication of whether Martinez is simply a good King or a future great one.  Win or lose I am expecting an impressive and gutsy performance from Harris, but he may just find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time tonight.


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Khalid Yafai vs Roman Gonzalez : LAST CHANCE FOR CHOCOLATITO


Khalid Yafai vs Roman Gonzalez
Last Chance For Chocolatito
The Big Fight Preview
By Peter Silkov
Writer for The Boxing Glove


WBA world super-flyweight championship. Yafai is making the 6th defense of his world title, but it is fair to say that he hasn't been setting the world on fire since he won the championship. title fights. 'Chocolatito' had put the 'little men' on the boxing map by becoming one of the very few flyweights to be recognized as the best boxer in the world pound for pound. One would have to go back to the days of the great Ricardo Lopez to find a flyweight/light-flyweight who had gained such wide recognition throughout the boxing world. Usually, boxing's lightest champions are only appreciated by the connoisseurs and hardcore boxing fans, but Gonzalez, with his exciting brand of skilled destructiveness, changed all that. Then it all went wrong for 'Chocolatito'. First, he lost his WBC Super-flyweight world championship to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on March 18, 2017, on a very controversial points decision after a brutal war. Six months later the two men fought again, with 'Chocolatito' expected to avenge his dubious defeat, and regain his world title, however, Gonzalez crashed to a shocking and disastrous 4th round knockout defeat to the heard punching Thai, and in the eyes of many looked to be a spent force. Since that defeat almost two and a half years ago, 'Chocolatito' has fought just twice, winning both, but against lower-tier opposition. His most recent outing in December, a 2nd round stoppage of Diomel Diocos, was Gonzalez's first match in 15 months after having knee surgery. Tomorrow night (February 29) he faces the unbeaten Khalid Yafai, at the Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, for Yafai's
WBA world super-flyweight championship. Yafai is making the 6th defense of his world title, but it's fair to say that he hasn't been setting the world on fire since he won the championship.
A clever boxer with a somewhat awkward style, Yafai has so far been retaining his title over somewhat limited opposition, without really impressing. Perhaps he's been needing a challenge from someone like Roman Gonzalez to really be able to bring the best out of himself?. Yafai often looks like a boxer who does just enough to win, and the better his opposition the better he performs, yet we still don't know just how good he is when pushed to his limit. If Gonzalez is anything like the fighter he used to be then we should find out tomorrow night whether Yafai is a genuine world-class 'world champion' or whether he falls a level below the elite. The biggest question is at the age of 32, how much does 'Chocolatito' have left in him. While the layoff at this point of his career may well have done him good, how much has a decade of fighting the best in 4 divisions taken out of Gonzalez. One of Gonzalez's problems is that he is a small super-flyweight. The other top men at the weight, including Yafai, are visibly bigger than him in height and build, and this natural size difference played a big part in the problems which Gonzalez had in his fights with Rungvisai and his war with Carlos Cuadras before that. While Gonzalez may not be able to make the flyweight limit anymore, he is still not a natural super-flyweight. Certainly, Gonzalez is suffering from the effects of competing at the very top for over a decade, despite his skills, the wear and tear of 17 world title fights is inevitable.
In recent training footage, Gonzalez looked noticeably slower than in the past. He will be hoping that he can summon up the strength and power to wear down and perhaps overpower Yafai in the later rounds. If Gonzalez is even just 70% of what he used to be then he will give Yafai a very tough night. Yafai is not a great puncher but is fast with an elusive awkwardness which could pose a lot of problems for 'Chocolatito' at this stage of his career. If Yafai sticks to his boxing, then he may well be able to outbox the faded Gonzalez, to win a competitive but clear decision. If Yafai chooses to try and slug it out with Roman, however, in an effort to impress, then he would be making a mistake. Roman's best chance of victory is to make the fight a toe to toe war and hope that he has the fitness and strength to wear down Yafai.
While not being a big puncher Yafai has a sharp punch and can throw a lot of punches. It is possible that if Roman has slipped enough, and can no longer fighter at his former pace or with his previous stamina, then Yafai could force a stoppage in the mid to late rounds.
It would be good to see Roman come back from the boxing twilight zone to regain a world title so that both he and his fans can enjoy some more great nights as they did in the past. However, the truth is that when a fighter falls apart as spectacularly as Gonzalez did in 2017, they very seldom manage to come back all the way to the top again. Unfortunately Yafai, despite not being close to the level of Roman when he was at his best, id the kind of fighter who will be awkward for a Gonzalez who has slowed down and has been inactive for the past two and a half years. Tomorrow we may see the dying light of the most outstanding fighter of the last decade. Roman, with his huge fighting pride is bound to do everything in his power to try and get the win, but my feeling is that in the end, he will come up short and perhaps go out on his shield in the later rounds.
While it does seem harsh to write off such a magnificent champion like 'Chocolatito' the fact that he has been such a great champion over the years makes it hard for one to see where he could go if he loses this match. Especially if he loses it badly. One suspects (and hopes) that Gonzalez has too much pride to allow himself to carry on if it becomes apparent that he can no longer compete successfully at the top level.
Hopefully, this is one prediction that I have got wrong and 'Chocolatito' will turn up tomorrow and prove all the doubters to be fools for writing him off so quickly.
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Thursday, February 27, 2020

Tyson Fury Victorious In Vegas: The Gypsy King Breaks The Bronze Bomber


The Boxing Glove Big Fight Review:
By Peter Silkov
Writer For The Boxing Glove
Las Vegas has seen some remarkable fights in its time as the Mecca of boxing, but it's never seen anything quite like Tyson Fury, and Tyson Fury's seven-round demolition of the previously unbeaten Deontay Wilder. As a fight, Wilder vs Fury 2 was by turns tense, exciting, and at times brutal. But it was the human drama surrounding the contest, most specifically the human drama which is Tyson Fury's life, which made this contest into something exceptional.
When the two met for the first time 14 months ago, at Los Angeles, Staples Center, Fury had shocked many of the so-called 'experts' by out-boxing the 'Bronze Bomber' for the vast majority of the match, except for those two rounds in which he was knocked down. It was a stunning performance by a man who had fought just twice in three years, against mediocre opposition, following a mental breakdown that had seen him go from Champion of the world to the depths of despair. If anything, the impact of Fury's performance was heightened by the two knockdowns which he suffered, especially that knockdown in the 12th and final round which will go down in boxing history as one of the most dramatic ever seen. If ever a fighter displayed an almost inhuman ability to bounce back from the dark jaws of defeat, that fighter was Tyson Fury in that 12 round. It is one of those very few knockdowns that whenever you rewatch it you find yourself subconsciously doubting that he will beat the count this time.
In the end, the drawn verdict is almost an afterthought today. Everyone who watched that fight knows that Tyson should have won it.
Heading into the rematch Fury told us that not only would he be 50% better this time, but that instead of going for a points victory, he would knock Wilder out and bypass putting the fights final result in the hands of the Vegas judges. The boxer was going to become the aggressor, against the man whom many were hailing as the most dangerous puncher ever seen in the history of the heavyweight division. For some Fury's new gameplan was a brave gamble, while others declared it akin to boxing suicide. Why go head to head with a puncher of Wilder's venom. Still, others saw it as a ruse and expected Fury to turn up on fight night and box Wilder the same way which he fought him in their first bout.
However, those who have followed Fury throughout his career will know that he is not one to give empty promises when it comes to predicting his performances inside the ring. The most powerful examples of this have come in his most important contests. In 2015 before his often overlooked victory over Wladimir Klitschko, the Gypsy King told everyone in great detail (including Wladimir himself) how he would outbox a man who had never been outboxed before in his whole career. Then before he met Wilder in their first match 14 months ago Fury detailed how he would outbox 'The Bronze Bomber' despite having not faced a serious opponent in the ring for three years.
Yet again Fury did as he had predicted and to quote a cliché 'boxed Wilder's ears off' save for those two knockdowns. But the general consensus was that Fury would be taking the biggest gamble of his career if he chose to go toe to toe with the big-hitting Wilder. After all wouldn't this be just what the 'Bronze Bomber' would want? Fury coming at him rather than fighting in his usual herky-jerky counterpunching style?.
Tyson Fury was going to take the biggest gamble of his boxing career in the gambling capital of America, where victory against the odds can be life-changing. After that disputed draw, 14 months before Tyson wanted to take his destiny out of the hands of the judges. Fury was going to take on the biggest fight of his career with a new style and a new corner team. It was a gamble worthy of a gambling Mecca such as Las Vegas. And that's exactly what he did.
After being carried to the ring on a mock throne, dressed as a King, and to the strains of 'Crazy' by Patsy Kline, the 'Gypsy King' proceeded to do exactly what he had been saying he would do ever since signing for the rematch. He took charge of the fight from the beginning, forcing Wilder back with a tremendous jab that jolted The Bronze Bombers head back. Just as he said he would, Fury was coming forward aggressively rather than looking to counter and move as he usually does, but his pressure was intelligent as he was using feints and little nuances of upper body movement to still make himself an elusive target. Fury's ring generalship is such that he can stand right in front of an opponent yet still evade their punches with a simple step aside or a twitch of the head.


The effect of Fury's extra weight was evident as Wilder seemed to be shaken by the weight of every punch Fury was landing. Fury has always had underrated punching power (just ask Dereck Chisora) but when he is weighing around 270 pounds and is also putting his weight behind his shots, he becomes a very different animal to the boxer who just wants to move about the ring and counterpunch.
While it was a right-hand to the side of the head in the 3rd round that signaled the end of the match as a competitive debate, Deontay was softened up first by Fury's tremendous jabs in the 1st and 2nd rounds, as Wilder found himself under increasing pressure and unable to fire off his own punches. From the start of the fight, the 'Bronze Bomber's inability to fight on the back foot was becoming clear.
Fury increased his pace in the 3rd round. That pole-like jab struck with increasing regularity and was then accompanied by some right hands. Forced back to the ropes, Wilder was then sent down by a thunderous right hand that seemed to slam him into the canvas. He did well to regain his feet, but was soon down again, tumbling forwards after taking some more right hands. Although this fall was ruled a 'slip' by referee Kenny Bayliss, there's little doubt that it was a genuine knockdown and discounted or not the damage was done.
The Bronze Bomber returned groggily to his corner at the end of the 3rd still in the fight but his body had already been broken. Blood was flowing from the mouth and left ear, and Wilder couldn't suppress the look of pain and bewilderment covering his face.
In the rounds that followed Wilder resembled a short-circuiting robot as he staggered about, often grabbing hold of Fury to buy himself some time and occasionally trying to land with that notorious knockout punch. Yet the punches when they were thrown, were only hitting the Las Vegas air.
Fury constantly pressed and kept Wilder on the defensive, nullifying the power of the few punches that Wilder was able to fire off. Fury feinted and shifted cleverly on his feet. He seemed always to be in front of Wilder yet Wilder could not hit him. There was no respite for Wilder in the clinches either as the battered Bronze Bomber sought to hold on in an effort to retrieve his balance and shut down Furys attacks. Fury battered Wilder on the inside as well and leaned his weight onto Wilders.
The fighter who so often during his career has been known to 'bully' opponents with wrestling in clinches and shots behind the head, etc, was now being bullied himself.
Wilder fell down again in the 4th round after taking some glancing blows from Fury. Although it was not deemed a knockdown by referee Bayliss it was clear that keeping his feet was becoming an ordeal for Deontay.
The 5th round should have been the last. Wilder was floored by shots to the head and body. The fact that he regained his feet yet again says all you need to know about the 'Bronze Bomber's heart. For all his flaws Wilder showed on this night that he has the courage of a warrior.
Referee Bayliss perhaps saved Wilder from being stopped in this round when he broke the action to administer a disgraceful point deduction from Fury. The enforced pause gave Wilder some extra time to recover, yet by now it was only prolonging the inevitable. Both men were by now covered in blood and it was all spilling out from Wilder.
Ultimately Bayliss was doing Wilder no favors by prolonging the fight.
Between rounds, Deontay's corner seemed almost mesmerized by what was happening to their fighter, as they tried to staunch the blood running from his left ear yet seemed to have very little idea what to do or say in order to effect a change in the course of the fight.
Both Wilder's cornermen/trainers seemed to be talking to him at the same time, but the wounded and dazed fighter looked like he couldn't take anything in from either of his trainers let alone implement either of their instructions. Only assistant trainer Mark Breland seemed to have some kind of composure and idea as to what to do, but he also seemed hopelessly unable to get his message through to his fighter.
Wilder continued to take punishment in the sixth round, with his movements becoming more and more exaggerated as the beating he was taking took its toll. At times he looked as if he was moving in slow motion. Fury actually seemed to hold back when Wilder staggered in front of him, perhaps hoping that the referee would save him having to continue the now one-sided beating.


But if Fury was holding back a little out of sympathy in the 6th round he stepped up his attack in the 7th, as Wilder staggered stiff-legged into the corner with his arms up his face to try and defend himself, Fury unleashed a heavy attack, slamming his right hand again and again into Wilder's head. It looked to be just a matter of moments before Wilder would be falling to the canvas again, and this time for good.
Then it was all over.


Wilder's trainer Mark Breland finally saved his fighter by mercifully throwing in the towel. He has since been criticized by Wilder for stopping the fight when he did, even though he might have saved Deontay's career, not to mention his future health, by doing what he did.
The 'Bronze Bomber' was as beaten as ever a man could be, but in defeat, he had shown a heart of a warrior and a chin and proclivity to soak up punishment which far exceeded previous expectations of him. Often rumored to be delicate in the chin area, Deontay took far more punches than anyone with the cliché glass chin ever could hope to do.
The Gypsy King is once more the king of the heavyweight division. While Anthony Joshua holds the other belts, there can be no denying that his status is perhaps irreparably damaged after his devastating loss last year to Andy Ruiz. Although Joshua came back and beat Ruiz in their rematch, it was an uninspiring 'revenge' victory against a man who seemed unfit to fight and served only to paper over the damage to his reputation. There is little doubt that Tyson Fury is now viewed by most boxing followers and media as the 'main man'.
The recognition is long overdue.
It's difficult to find a comeback in boxing that compares to that of Tyson Fury. In the space of just two years, he has come back from a breakdown and having to lose over 10 stone to once more being officially the heavyweight champion of the world, a title which he never actually lost in the ring but had taken from him by the men in suits.
Even Las Vegas has never seen an act quite like Tyson Fury. An emotional Fury capped his triumph over the 'Bronze Bomber' by singing 'American Pie' to an audience who seemed to be genuinely overwhelmed by what they had just witnessed. Even Muhammad Ali never burst into song after his ring victories. It is perhaps not an exaggeration to say that no British fighter has ever captured the imagination and hearts of the American boxing fan quite like Tyson Fury.


Tyson was hailed by a full house at the MGM Grand, which included about 5000, fans from Britain, in scenes which haven't been seen for a heavyweight championship in America since the days of Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. The heavyweight division is alive again in the USA and the man who has brought it back to life is British. It is a fact that some will not like, but Tyson Fury has achieved what Anthony Joshua was once expected to do.
The irony will not be lost upon American fight followers that the heavyweight division, so long the bastion of the American boxer, is now undisputedly ruled by British fighters. The days when the British heavyweights could be dismissed by a grinning American fight fan as the 'horizontal heavyweight' (something which was always rather exaggerated) are well and truly over.
Fury had proved the doubters wrong again, something which he has done throughout his career. The 'Bronze Bomber' who was being hailed by some as the hardest punching heavyweight in history was battered into bloody submission by a man he had labeled 'pillow fisted'.


The parallels between Fury and Muhammad Ali are clear in so many ways even though the two are also very different men in some ways. Tyson like Ali is a maverick who has won over the boxing world with a mixture of arrogance and humility and a unique sense of humor. Like Ali, he has also constantly beaten the oddsmakers and shown a penchant for always finding a way to win in the ring. Tyson, like Ali before him, also has unflinching confidence in his ability in the ring and a knack for getting into the heads of his opponents.
There will never be another Muhammad Ali and so to compare both as fighters when they have fought in such different eras is unfair to both men, but it is fair to say that Tyson Fury is the biggest personality to hold the heavyweight crown since the days of Mike Tyson, the man whom he was named after. Tyson Fury's comeback from mental illness, and substance abuse, and his willingness to talk about his ongoing problems has made him a transcendent figure in the sport. It isn't an exaggeration to say that his exploits in the ring have saved lives and inspired people to tackle their own mental health issues.
The fight which everyone will want to see now is Fury vs Joshua. Despite Anthony's reputation being somewhat damaged from his defeat to Ruiz, the prospect of him and Tyson finally squaring up in the ring is irresistible. Two British fighters, each with their own large fan base, clashing to decide the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Quite simply it should be the biggest boxing match this country has ever seen.
Fury might well have to face Wilder for a third time though if the American chooses to exercise his option for an immediate rematch.
How Wilder will recover from the first defeat of his professional career remains to be seen. Defeat has a habit of bringing out either the best or the worst from a fighter. Some rise to greater heights than they reached before while others sink. The signs from Wilder so far are not good.
While he was courageous in the ring, in the days since his defeat he has shown a distinct lack of class and moral courage by trying to explain his defeat with simply risible excuses. Wilders 'confession' that he was weakened even before the fight began by the weight of the bizarre uniform that he chose to wear on his ring walk will no doubt give him an unenviable place in boxing history.

Excuses from defeated fighters are nothing new in boxing, but the extremes of Wilder's claims leads one to believe that this is a man who has been broken mentally as well as physically. The fact that Wilder has seemingly fired assistant trainer Mark Breland, the man who saved him from taking career-ending, or even life-changing punishment, is another clue as to how far Wilders judgment has derailed from reality.
Just three days after Tyson's devastating victory over Deontay Wilder, it was the 56th anniversary of the night when one young Cassius Clay tamed 'The Ugly Bear' Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship of the world for the first time. Tyson Fury might not be Muhammad Ali, but his performance on Saturday night was worthy of being so close to the anniversary of 'The Greatest' first crowning. Like Ali before him, Tyson Fury told us what he was going to do and then went out and did it. Simple though that may sound it has made 'The Gypsy King' the biggest attraction in the sport today.
The 'Gypsy King' has regained the throne which was so unfairly taken from him, after a torrid tale of intrigue, greed, betrayal, drugs, alcohol, and mental illness. It is a drama Shakespeare himself would have been proud to have written.


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