By Jonny Rashman: Now the dust has settled after Saturday’s thrilling 12 round encounter for the prestigious WBC heavyweight belt between American Champion Deontay Wilder and British challenger Tyson Fury. It’s time to dissect the pulsating and controversial sporting drama that unfolded on Saturday night at the Staple Center in Los Angeles California USA. The pre-fight build up to this clash was one of the most exciting the heavyweight division has seen, since Lewis vs Tyson some 16 years ago. Heavyweight boxing has made a stunning comeback after years in the boxing wilderness. What did we learn when the final bell sounded? And what is next for Both Fighters?
The first round set the tone for the whole fight, Fury came out and claimed center ring, immediately fainting and moving his upper body side to side to confuse his American counterpart. It’s clear to see Wilder looked very hesitant to let his hands go, like he didn’t know how to process the information that was in front of him. Fury Fires lighting fast double jabs that the champion has to soak up. The times Wilder tried to land anything of significance was easily thwarted by Fury as he could see Wilder’s wild and erratic punches coming from a mile away. He simply rolled under the punches and tied Wilder up. It becomes apparent that Fury’s timing and reflexes inconceivably seems to have not deserted him after his long hiatus away from the ring. The self proclaimed “Gypsy King” bamboozled and clearly out boxed Wilder for the majority of the fight. I lost count the amount of times the champion hit nothing but fresh air. At the end of round 4 with 15 seconds on the clock, Wilder threw a wild long overhand right hand followed by a left hook that missed Fury by a country mile. This highlighted Wilder’s lack of high level boxing skill. Just as I predicted in my pre-fight report, Wilder couldn’t work Fury’s slick boxing style out, much in the same vain as Wladimir Klitschko couldn’t three years prior.
We all knew the risks Fury would have to overcome in this fight. Could he stay away from Wilder’s Bombs? Could his body fight at a fast pace for 12 rounds? Although he was put down 2 times in the fight, he answered all the questions that was hanging over him pre-fight. I have to give Wilder credit in the respect that although he was given a boxing lesson, he never stopped believing he could knock Fury out and came as close as I have ever seen a professional boxer come to stopping the British star. The start of the last round (round 12) gave us an iconic piece of sporting drama that will live long in boxing fans minds. A phrase we like to use in Great Britain is “it was real Roy of the Rovers stuff” from Fury, and it really was. In 22 years of watching boxing I have never seen a fighter literally come back from the dead and survive a brutal knockdown the way Fury did, the way he was sent crashing to the canvas, his head rebounding of the floor and his body lying motionless was reminiscence of Ricky Hatton’ brutal knockout defeat to Manny Pacquiao. I could not in a million years have envisaged the events that unfolded next. Convinced he had retained his title, the brash American confidently started celebrating; he had a beaming smile on his face that quickly turned to utter shock the moment Fury rose to his feet. Every Fury fan at this point would have been jumping in front of their television screens screaming for him to hold on to Wilder and survive the round. The fact he managed to stay in the fight and push Wilder back towards to end of the round, catapulted Fury in to boxing folk law
There is no doubt in my mind that Tyson Fury should have been named the victor in this contest. You only have to look at both fighters reactions at the end of the fight and their celebrations before the judge’s scorecards were announced. Deontay Wilder walks back to his corner head down like he had come to terms with losing his title. In contrast Fury jumps on to the ropes in utter elation knowing he has completed one of the most amazing sporting comebacks in history. The tension was palpable as Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced the judges’ scorecards. As soon as he declared “we have a split decision” alarm bells started ringing. When the last scorecard came in ironically of British Judge Phil Edwards of 113-133 declaring the fight a draw, loud gasps could be heard echoing around the arena. Boxing politics had reared its ugly head again. In plain and simple terms Tyson Fury was robbed of the chance to make history and come home with the WBC belt. A host of fighters and respected boxing pundits have agreed with this statement.
What we learnt on Saturday night was just how limited Deontay Wilder’s boxing skill really is. He looked completely out of his depth for the majority of the fight, even when he knocked Fury down, he couldn’t capitalize on the situation and force the stoppage, this was due to his inability to set his punches up, he just threw wildly without any real thought, now against mediocre opposition he could get away with this tactic. As soon as he has stepped up to world class, he has been found wanting, he was being out boxed by Luis Ortiz and was on the verge of being stopped, and now he has been gifted a draw against a 50% Tyson Fury. I am not denying Wilder is dangerous from the first minute to the last. What I do deny is this man is an elite world class fighter and is the best heavyweight on the planet.
The aftermath of this encounter has signaled the return of one of boxing’s most charismatic and colorful characters. Tyson Fury has had his problems throughout the years; however this man shines a light on the heavyweight division like no other. I truly believe his is one of the most skilled heavyweight fighters that has ever laced up the gloves. His razor sharp hand speed combined with his slick footwork defies logic given his height and size. I believe he will regain all the World Titles he had to relinquish.
What is next for both fighters? I believe the Wilder team avoids Fury like the plague from now on. His team knows he was extremely lucky to escape with his WBC belt and undefeated record intact, they gambled on Fury being a shell of his former self due to his lack of ring activity. If they were to fight again it gives Fury more time to shake off the ring rust. Would Wilder drastically improve in the rematch? I don’t believe so, does Fury have the capacity to improve? Absolutely, Wilder will be running to Wembley stadium for the Anthony Joshua payday. Should he agree to a Fury rematch and loose, he can kiss goodbye to the lucrative Joshua fight. Meanwhile as much as a high the Fury team will be on, they will also be breathing a huge sigh of relief at the way their man performed. It could have very easily ended in disaster. It was a gamble of epic proportions to take on such a dangerous assignment in the form of Wilder so early on in his comeback trail. They rolled the dice and won, his stock has risen dramatically, especially in the glamorous American market. Fury’s comeback from the depths of despair in the last 12 months has gained him a new cult like following. The Anthony Joshua match-up is a monster fight, possibly the biggest contest in boxing. I think the Fury team will be happy for him to have a couple more fights before the Wilder rematch and Joshua fight. This will give him more time to sharpen his tools. Tyson Fury is back and the heavyweight division is looking as healthy as it’s looked in the last 15 years.