The
Boxing Glove Big Fight Review:
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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