By Jim Maltzman: Most fans would agree that Deontay Wilder’s trainer Mark Breland did the right thing in throwing in the towel in the 7th round last Saturday night to pull his fighter out of his fight with Tyson Fury.
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) was hurt, bleeding from one ear, and getting knocked around the ring by the bigger and highly skilled Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs). However, Wilder’s other trainer Jay Deas reportedly disagrees with the fight being stopped in the 7th because he thinks it should have continued on, according to @grosenstein.
Wilder looked like he needed saving
Although Wilder still had his punching power by the 7th, his equilibrium was gone, and he was getting bounced around the ring by Fury. The shots from the bigger 6’9″, 273 lb Fury was hurting Wilder.
You can argue that the extra weight that Fury packed on during training camp improved his power considerably, as he pounding Wilder. All that weight that Fury had behind his shots increased his power to the point where he was able to hurt Wilder repeatedly.
Breland is a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, and he clearly felt that Wilder needed to be pulled out of the fight. Ultimately, we’ll never know for sure if Breland made the right decision, but it seems like it was the right move. Wilder’s accuracy with his punches wasn’t there last night and was getting hammered by the bigger fighter Fury.
Wilder was going to the inside to tie Fury up, but he was taking punishment even in close. There was really nothing Wilder could do to escape the shots from Fury and looked like he had no plan to fall back on. The decision by Wilder to get in close was likely his plan-B, which wasn’t effective. If Wilder’s equilibrium wasn’t thrown off, he could have used his legs to move around the ring. That wasn’t going to happen with his legs looking weak and rubbery.
Deontay’s trainer disagrees with the fight being stopped
WOW.
Deontay Wilder’s trainer, Jay Deas, says he would not have thrown in the towel in the seventh round. Mark Breland was the one who did it and he disagreed with the decision.
“I don’t think he should have.”#WilderFury2
— Greg Rosenstein (@grosenstein) February 23, 2020
Wilder’s power wasn’t present after he was knocked down by Fury in the third, and that’s really when the fight effectively was over. The difference in Wilder’s power before the third round was much different than after. His punches weren’t as powerful, and he was getting shaken from almost every shot from Fury.
Hitman Hearns wanted Wilder to take the fight to Fury
“I think it was a great fight tonight, but it wasn’t the great fight that everyone was expecting,” said Thomas Hearns to IFL TV. “A lot of people felt that Deontay Wilder should have come out, used his left jab and taken control of the fight. Because he didn’t do that he let his opponent have the opportunity to control the fight. Once he got control, he ran away with it,” said boxing great ‘Hitman’ Hearns about Fury dominating Wilder.
“He ran away with the fight. I believe he will fight him again. But if Tyson continues what he’s doing, he’ll be alright. You got to say it [Fury is the best fighter in the world].
“Unless something happens, right now Tyson Fury is the man. I’d love to see that fight,” said Hearns on Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. “It would give Tyson Fury a chance to really prove himself. Once he proves himself, he can be the top guy,” said Hearns about Fury.
Wilder doesn’t have the same aggressive intensity to his game that former world champion Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns had. While many boxing fans often compare Wilder to Hearns, they’re completely different fighters in terms of temperament and fighting style. Hearns was always an attack-oriented fighter, who always came forward looking to smash his opponents. In contrast, Wilder looks timid, even when facing weak opposition. In Wilder’s fight against Gerald Washington in 2017, he gave away the first 4 rounds against him by looking scared, and not going on the attack. When Wilder finally did go after Washington in the 5th, he knocked him out.
