Deontay Wilder puts Tyson Fury down twice, retains WBC title in split draw

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury talked big and put on a grand pre-fight show, and their fight more than lived up to the hype in a drama-filled bout.

People flocked to the Staples Center in L.A. on Saturday, Dec. 1 to see if Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury could reignite heavyweight boxing in the United States. The division’s allure has been stagnant in the states while thriving in the U.K. Wilder and Fury did their parts to resuscitate the division and the sport in the U.S.

Fury made his way to the ring to a cacophony of boos and jeers. There had been lots of talk of a British invasion in L.A., but their voices were dimmed by the American audience. Regardless, Fury danced with his entry music which must have elevated his heart rate quite a bit.

Wilder’s entrance received a mixed reception. Jay Rock laid down an explicit rap designed to send a message to Fury. It was hard to tell if anyone in the crowd liked either boxer. Wilder wore a golden crown and Scorpion mask with a feathered jacket. It was a unique look.

When the fighting began, Wilder made the first contact with a jab to Fury’s stomach. Wilder tried to jump on Fury, but Fury trapped him in a clinch. Fury backed up as Wilder gradually walked him down. Fury showed a lot of nervous movement. Wilder landed a hard left hook on Fury with a minute left, but he took it well. Fury did hit Wilder with a right hand at the end, but it was Wilder’s round.

The first minute of the second round was cautious. Wilder slowed down his pace and Fury didn’t do much other than walk around on the outside. Fury landed his jab several times, while Wilder had a hard time finding his range. He tried to land a haymaker right, but Fury placed him in a headlock. Fury could have won the round, but Wilder ended the round with a hard combination that might have stolen it.

Wilder and Fury exchanged jabs to start the third. Wilder’s landed with more force. Fury looked relaxed and moved well on his feet, yet his pace was too slow. Fury had a good round. Wilder was more active which probably helped his cause with the judges.

Wilder tried to land his right hand and missed by a fist length. Fury’s movement was impressive. He moves well for 256 pounds. Fury’s nose started bleeding down the stretch. Both men tagged each other. However, Fury was more active than in past rounds.  He deserved to win this round on the cards.

Fury’s head and hand movement were manic and confusing in the fifth. They froze Wilder as he continued to wait on his punches. Fury didn’t throw much in return. Even though Wilder didn’t land much, he tried which is more than what could be said for Fury.

Cameras caught up with Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he had all five rounds to Fury. Ringside commentators mostly agreed with his assessment.

Fury landed a nice combination midway through round six. It was the best sequence from either fighter in the round. Wilder’s work rate dropped, and Fury appeared to take over the fight in the most anti-climactic of ways. Mayweather’s words seemed prophetic.

Wilder continued to throw one punch at a time in the seventh. He didn’t throw any combinations and Fury used his jab well. Things were slipping away from Wilder as Fury hit him with a clean one-two. Wilder tried to return fire but missed. Wilder looked like he needed a hail mary to reign this fight in.

Fury popped Wilder’s head back with a jab to begin the eighth. Wilder attempted a right, and it flew over Fury’s head. Wilder looked befuddled. He had no answers for Fury’s boxing. There was no ferocity. Wilder was going through the motions almost in a haze of boredom as his title fell further away from him.

Wilder’s left eye looked very swollen in the ninth. He landed a couple of right hands and then finally he connected the big one that put Fury flat on his back. Wilder was alive! Knowing Fury was hurt he tried to go berserk, and Fury held on for dear life. Wilder swung recklessly but missed his gigantic shots. Wilder was tired, and Fury began to taunt him. Fury escaped danger.

Fury became the aggressor in the 10th. He pushed Wilder back with jabs and combinations. Wilder looked tired. He was too passive and couldn’t put anything together. Fury owned the round.

Fury looked fresh bouncing on his toes in the 11th. Wilder walked and often moved back. He remained stuck as Fury continued to make him miss with fantastic head movement. As the seconds ticked by is looked like Wilder’s reign as a champion followed. He couldn’t hear the clock ticking and showed no anxiety as the bout slid out of his grasp.

In the final round, Wilder needed to fly out of his corner and throw punches without stopping but he didn’t do that. He remained patient and somehow landed what appeared to be the miracle punch he so badly needed—a straight right followed by a left hook. Fury crumpled to the canvas flat on his back and looked completely out of it. But somehow Fury got to his feet at the count of nine. He beat the count.

Wilder pressed forward but was exhausted. Fury regained his senses and hit Wilder with a right that stopped his assault. The time got down to 20 seconds and Fury was alive and well. He managed to take Wilder’s best and survive. The fight was over. Fury was knocked down twice in the fight, but he put on a boxing clinic against Wilder. It came down to the judges’ scorecards.

When Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the scores the dreaded words came out—split decision. The first score was 115-111 for Wilder. The second was 114-110 for Fury. The final score read was 113-113. Lennon had fun with us. The result was a split decision draw.

Fury got knocked down twice and still did enough to deserve the win. Wilder has the best right hand in boxing but his skills looked like he had a high school diploma to Fury’s Ph.D. Fury’s return to prominence has to be the comeback story of the year. They will likely fight each other again on Showtime pay-per-view. Regardless of the outcome, Fury won the night with his boxing skills and spirit. It was an epic fight that will go down as one of the most dramatic in the common era of boxing.