The Briton made short work of the American to reclaim the WBC heavyweight belt on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Royal from start to finish: arrived at MGM Grand with a crown on his head, Tyson Fury left, seven rounds and a show of force later at the expense of Deontay Wilder, with the WBC heavyweight belt on Saturday in Las Vegas. Fourteen months after their first epic clash in Los Angeles where a draw, already miraculous enough for Wilder, had decided between them, Fury kept the promise that it had been made to finish with the American. Certainly not in 2 rounds as he had sworn in recent weeks, but in 7, when the referee put an end to the ordeal of his opponent.
Because Fury, who becomes world champion a little more than four years after having taken the belts WBA, WBO, IBF to the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, has been ultra-dominant all along. After having accompanied two big Wilder straights in the first round, he quickly took his measure by spreading all his talents as a pugilist, in a mode much more aggressive than usual, while perfectly reading the vain attempts of his opponent. Statistics also testify to this superiority: the “Gypsy King” (the gypsy king) hit 82 times, “The Bronze Bomber” only 34 times.
In fact, it was with a direct from the left then a jab of the right in the face that Fury first sent his opponent to the mat on the 3rd recovery. Stunned, after another hit that made him lose his balance and cling to Fury’s legs, Wilder was then saved by the gong.
A knockout miraculously avoided
This sequence which made the American hurt so much, Fury repeated it with each opening, and there were … In the 5th round, Wilder was again sent to the mat, but got up. Heroic, but totally helpless, even rocking on his stool between the 6th and 7th times, he logically did not last longer. He may have briefly challenged the arbitral award, it is a miracle if he did not finish knockout.
“A big ovation to Deontay Wilder. He came tonight and he showed that he had the heart of a champion. I hit him with a dry right that lifted him up and sent him to the ground and he got up. He is a warrior, “congratulated the Briton. “He will come back, he will become champion again. But then, I can tell you that the king is back on the throne “!” He then yelled, before intoning “American Pie”, folk song brought up to date by Madonna, whom he loves so much to resume. “I’m fine,” first reassured Wilder after the fight. “These are things that happen, the best won tonight. My corner threw in the towel, but I was ready to continue. That’s how it is, even if I’m not looking for any excuses tonight. ”
What now, Joshua?
“I will come back stronger. Even the biggest lost and returned, “added the American who conceded at 34 his first defeat in 44 fights (42 victories, including 41 before the limit, 1 draw) and will not exceed Mohamed Ali in the number of victorious title defenses (10). The “Gypsy King”, supported by a huge British colony in an enclosure where 15,816 spectators took place, remains him unbeaten in 29 fights (28 victories including 21 before the limit, 1 draw).
This “Wilder-Fury II” disputed under the eyes of a bed of stars, like NBA legend Magic Johnson, actor Michael J Fox and Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, winner of the last Super Bowl, broke the record ticket revenue for a heavyweight fight in Nevada with $ 16.9 million generated (€ 15.6 million), according to ESPN, citing Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, one of the promoters.
A sum, however, still far from the record of $ 72.2 million reached for Mayweather / Pacquiao in 2015. However, this very spectacular fight, although one-sided, confirmed that the heavyweight category was living in an era again. golden.
Before they met, a tribute was paid to three of the greatest champions in history: Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, who are the last to unify the titles respectively. If a “Fury-Wilder III” is possible, all boxing fans are now waiting for Fury to challenge his compatriot Anthony Joshua, champion IBF, WBA and WBO, to follow in the footsteps of these legends.
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