Boxing: 'Best of era' Fury hailed after Wilder classic

LAS VEGAS -- Tyson Fury believes he is the greatest heavyweight of his era after producing a scintillating display to beat Deontay Wilder in a boxing classic on Saturday.

The 33-year-old undefeated Englishman recovered from two knockdowns against the hard-hitting Wilder before knocking out the American in the 11th round to retain his WBC crown.

"I know I'm the greatest heavyweight of my era, without doubt. Number one," Fury said following an epic battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"I've fought the most devastating puncher in the history of our sport, not once, not twice, but three times."

At a towering 6ft 9in tall and weighing in at 277lbs, Fury is unarguably one of the biggest heavyweight champions of all time. 

Icons of the heavyweight division like Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier would be giving away massive advantages in height and weight in any theoretical match-up with the reigning champion.

Fury was initially reluctant on Saturday to rank his chances against past greats. 

"I don't like competing with fighters from the past because it's fantasy, not reality," he said. "I can only beat the best of my day. And I've done that. I'm the best fighter in my era.

However, he later could not resist comparing himself favorably to the greatest heavyweights to have graced the division.

"There's been so many of them, so many great champions," he said. 

"Without sounding too clever, I place myself at the top of the pile. I believe I can beat any man in history, any man."

- 'Magnificent' -

Saturday's thriller meanwhile left many at ringside struggling to think of a better heavyweight contest in boxing history. 

"Listen, I've been in this business 57 years promoting fights and I truly have to say I have never seen a heavyweight fight as magnificent as this," said Fury's US promoter Bob Arum, who promoted 27 of Muhammad Ali's fights including the 1975 classic "Thrilla in Manila" against Joe Frazier.

Frank Warren, Fury's veteran English promoter, said Saturday's bout was "boxing history."

"It's the best live heavyweight fight I've seen," Warren said. "It was just amazing. Two warriors and just so absorbing. Tyson is the standout heavyweight of his generation. 

"I have seen him box better. But the heart and the bravery he showed tonight were just amazing. Boxing should be proud of what he did tonight."

Fury, who now plans to take a break from the sport before contemplating a potential unification fight with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, or British rival Anthony Joshua, insisted he had never felt in danger against Wilder.

"He caught me twice. But I was never like thinking 'Uh oh, this is over.' I thought 'Okay, good shot -- but I will get you back in a minute, and I did'," he said. 

"He shook me and he put me down, but that's boxing. And that's life as well -- no matter how many times you get put down, it's all about getting back up."

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Fury batters Wilder in TKO triumph in title rematch

LAS VEGAS -- Tyson Fury reigns again as a heavyweight world champion after battering Deontay Wilder on the way to a stunning seventh-round stoppage in their World Boxing Council title rematch.

Fourteen months after their dramatic split-decision draw, Britain's Fury dominated the American champion -- who had blood streaming from his left ear and leaking from his mouth when referee Kenny Bayless called a halt at the behest of Wilder's corner.

"The king has returned to the top of the throne," said Fury, who had dropped Wilder in the third and fifth rounds as he remained unbeaten -- and handed Wilder the first defeat of his career.

The self-styled "Gypsy King" from northern England -- who was borne to the ring on a golden throne -- had put on a boxing masterclass in their first fight, but he was clearly ready to brawl from the opening bell on Saturday.

A massive right from Fury knocked down Wilder in the third and Wilder struggled to regain his legs -- although when he went down again moments later it was ruled a slip.

A left to the body had Wilder down again in the fifth, and Fury was raining blows on Wilder when Bayless called a halt at 1:39 of the seventh round after Wilder's corner threw in the towel.

Wilder, 34, suffered his first defeat in 44 fights, falling to 42-1 with 1 drawn and 41 knockouts.

The "Bronze Bomber" was unable to surpass Muhammad Ali's record of 10 successful heavyweight title defenses.

"I just want to say a big shout out Deontay Wilder," said Fury, who improved his own unbeaten record to 30-0 with one drawn and 21 knockouts. "He manned up. he really did show heart of a champion.

"I hit him with a clean right hand and dropped him, and he got back up and battled on into round seven.

"He is a warrior, he will be back, he will be champion again."

As a pro-Fury crowd at the MGM Grand cheered, Wilder briefly protested the stoppage.

- 'A warrior' -

"I just wish that my corner would have let me went out on my shield," he said. "I'm a warrior."

Wilder had knocked Fury down twice in their first fight in Los Angeles -- the Briton miraculously climbing off the canvas in the 12th round to hang on for a share of the spoils.

With new trainer Javan "Sugarhill" Steward in his corner, and with more than 16 additional pounds on his 273-pound frame, Fury was on the attack early, backing Wilder up with his jab and landing several hard shots in the opening round.

He didn't produce the second-round knockout he'd predicted, but he was clearly in control.

The fight, the biggest heavyweight collision since Lennox Lewis bludgeoned Mike Tyson into submission on the banks of the Mississippi River in 2002, drew a star-studded crowd.

Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes was ringside, so were Mark Davis, owner of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders and Raiders coach John Gruden.

Retired NBA greats Magic Johnson and Jerry West were on hand, as was current Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.

With the rematch in the books, fight fans will be hoping to see Fury take on compatriot Anthony Joshua -- holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO belts -- in a heavyweight unification bout.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Wilder, Fury engage in war of words ahead of rematch

Heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury jettisoned their previously cordial tone in favor of a heated and personal exchange in the final news conference before their highly-anticipated rematch on Saturday in Las Vegas.

WBC champion Wilder 42-0-1 (41 KO) and lineal heavyweight champion Fury 29-0-1 (20 KO) shoved each other when they took the stage at the MGM Grand on Wednesday before both promising knockouts.

"Wilder is very nervous," said the English-born Fury.

"I can see his jumper going in and out from the big heart beat pounding out of his chest.

"He's terrified. He's nervous as hell. He doesn't know what to expect, and he's getting knocked out," Fury said, adding that Wilder would be begging him for a rematch after he is defeated.


The American responded with laughter at Fury's repeated claim that he will end the fight in the second round.

"When I knock you out, go do stand-up comedy. You've got a career there.

"You've got pillows for fists and that's why I kept running through you."

The first meeting between the pair in December 2018 ended in a controversial split-decision draw after 12 explosive rounds, a result that satisfied neither fighter but left both with their undefeated records intact.

The fight included a vicious right hand from Wilder in the 12th that send the towering Fury to the canvas and appeared to end the fight but miraculously Fury rose to his feet to reach the final bell.

Fury, who fought twice in Las Vegas last year, wore a jacket of the popular NHL franchise the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday and said he was a "bigger star than their homegrown heavyweight" Wilder, who hails from Alabama.

"Is there anything the Gypsy King can't do, including slapping him in the mouth?" he said, referencing his own nickname.

"There's nothing I can't do."

Wilder hit below the belt when he brought up Fury's past struggles with depression, drug use and weight gain, which cost Fury his heavyweight titles when he was unable to defend them after his stunning upset of Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.

Fury has since battled back from the brink of suicide and last year embarked on a speaking tour promoting mental health awareness.

"It's a big show and I'm very happy we could all get together and put this on for the fans around the world," Fury said.

"If it's anything good as the talking we're doing up on stage here, we're in for a real treat."

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Boxing: Fury overcomes wound and Wallin for points victory

Britain's Tyson Fury overcame an early cut over his right eye to win a majority decision against his gutsy Swedish opponent Otto Wallin in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Fury was expected to cruise against his underdog challenger, but was forced to battle through the bloody cut and a relentless Wallin to maintain his unbeaten record.

The judges scored the bout 16-112, 117-111 and 118-110 in favor of Fury, but there were moments when he faced real danger.

Wallin struck Fury with a left hook in an early round to open a bloody gash that had to be tended to for the remainder of the night.

"It was a great fight, I got caught on the eye and that changed the fight," Fury said in a ringside interview. "For the majority I could not see out of the eye. Then there was a clash of heads and I got cut again."

The referee paused the fight in the sixth round to have the cut inspected, and that seemed to be the wake up call needed to ignite the 6-foot-9-inch boxer.

Fury came alive in the middle to late rounds, pounding Wallin with close range shots though not finishing him.

The final round proved a wild finish as Fury went for the kill before being hit with a powerful left from the southpaw Wallin.

Wallin (20-1) entered the night undefeated but untested by notable competition. The 28-year-old exceeded expectations in an entertaining clash.

"I did everything I could, I tried my best and Tyson is a great champion," he said. "Nobody can question my heart or question that I'm a good fighter."

Fury (29-0-1) is now scheduled to fight a rematch in February with Deontay Wilder with whom he fought to a controversial draw last December.

"Deontay Wilder, I want you next, bum,” Fury claimed. "That's my fourth fight, it has put me in good stead for the big dosser, February 22nd. Let the cut heal, have some time to relax with the family." 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Wilder retains heavyweight crown after Fury thriller ends in draw

LOS ANGELES -- Deontay Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight crown here Saturday after battling to a split decision draw against Britain's Tyson Fury in a pulsating 12-round battle.

Wilder had Fury on the canvas twice, including a spectacular final round knockdown, but was unable to get the knockout victory he had promised to deliver at the Staples Center.

The three judges were divided on the outcome, with one scoring it 115-111 for Wilder, another 114-112 for Fury and the third 113-113.

"I think with the two knockdowns I definitely won the fight," said Wilder afterwards. "We poured our hearts out tonight. We're both warriors, but with those two drops I think I won the fight."

Wilder, who remains unbeaten after 41 fights, immediately called for a rematch.

"I would love for it to be my next fight," Wilder said. "Let's give the fans what they want to see. It was a great fight and let's do it again."

Fury meanwhile insisted he had done enough to win.

"We're on away soil, I got knocked down twice, but I still believe I won that fight," Fury said.

"That man is a fearsome puncher and I was able to avoid that. The world knows I won the fight."

Fury also said he hopes to arrange a rematch.

"One hundred percent we'll do the rematch," Fury said. "We are two great champions. Me and this man are the two best heavyweights on the planet."

Until a sensational final round knockdown from Wilder, Fury appeared to be heading towards what would have been a remarkable upset.

The 30-year-old "Gypsy King", who returned to boxing this year after missing more than two years through depression, drink and drug problems, had boxed cleverly to evade the heavy-hitting threat of Wilder for most of the fight.

The American champion struggled to connect cleanly with Fury throughout an absorbing contest, all too often sending huge arcing haymakers whistling past Fury's head.

Wilder landed just 71 of 430 punches thrown, or 17 percent.

Fury by contrast cleverly picked his moments, finding Wilder with greater accuracy and causing a nasty swelling over the American's left eye.

Wilder, the more aggressive of the two fighters early on, quickly moved into an early lead.

But Fury gradually grew in confidence, regularly taunting Wilder by throwing his arms up in the air or behind his back.

Wilder responded with increasingly desperate flurries of big punches, very few of which found their mark.

As several former heavyweights had predicted beforehand, the longer the fight went on, the more Fury looked in control.

- Fury goes down -

However in the ninth round, Wilder finally made his mark, dropping Fury with a short hook that had the fans on their feet.

Fury recovered well however and regained his composure to resume where he had left off. With a large contingent of British fans in the audience of 17,698 roaring him on, a victory suddenly seemed within reach.

Wilder however suddenly found a devastating combination just when he needed it in the 12th round.

A right hand sent Fury rocking backwards towards the deck and a brutal left hand on the way down appeared to be the coup de grace for the challenger.

Incredibly however, Fury managed to pick himself up and clear his head to survive the remainder of the round and escape with a draw.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Wilder retains WBC title with Szpilka knockout

American heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder defended his WBC title with a knockout of Artur Szpilka at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday.

More drama followed the contest when WBA and WBO Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury climbed into the ring and said he wanted to fight Wilder in a unification bout.

Szpilka, who was bidding to become Poland's first world heavyweight champion, made it a close battle before absorbing a tough right hand to the chin with 2:24 left in the ninth round.

Szpilka (20-2) was unconscious for a few moments before recovering following the bout.

Wilder (36-0) displayed his power yet again and has now knocked out 35 opponents in 36 fights.

"He was definitely a crafty guy," Wilder told reporters. "I haven't competed against a southpaw in three years. He was a tough competitor, but you're fighting for a world title. It's not supposed to be easy. I'm surprised it took that long, but we had 12 rounds and they all can't be pretty."

Wilder is the first American heavyweight champion in nearly a decade.

In an earlier showdown, Charles Martin won the IBF Heavyweight World Championship after Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a reported torn right ACL injury in the third round and had to retire from the match.

Martin (23-0-1) becomes the second current American heavyweight titlist.

Glazkov (21-1-1), a previously unbeaten Ukrainian, slipped early in the third and never recovered. He fell to the canvas later after throwing a punch.

"I still wanted to fight," Martin said. "We trained for 12 rounds and we were going to get stronger as the rounds went on. I'm sorry for him. It's unfortunate he couldn't continue the fight."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com