Fury batters Wilder for TKO in rematch
LAS VEGAS — Tyson Fury is a heavyweight champion once again, dominating Deontay Wilder in their title rematch Saturday night before Wilder’s corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.
A boxer in their first fight, Fury went on the attack in the rematch and knocked down Wilder twice before a flurry of punches in the seventh prompted his corner to call an end to the highly anticipated rematch.
“The king has returned to his throne,” proclaimed Wilder, whose previous reign as champion was cut short by drugs and alcohol.
Fury dropped Wilder in the third round with a right hand that seemed to take the legs out of the champion. He put him down again in the fifth round, this time with a left hand to the body.
The end came at 1:39 of the seventh round when referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight after Wilder’s corner threw in the towel as he was getting pummeled in a neutral corner. Blood was pouring out of Wilder’s ear for several rounds and, in a bizarre scene, Fury appeared to lick drops of it from Wilder’s shoulder in the sixth round.
It was the first loss for Wilder in 44 fights, and it came in the 11th defense of the title he won in 2015.
“Even the greatest have lost and come back,” Wilder said. “I make no excuses. This is what big-time boxing is all about.”
Fury stalked Wilder almost from the opening bell, using his jab to control the early rounds. He won every round on the scorecard of the Associated Press and
was in total command of the fight when it ended.
Wilder briefly protested the stoppage, as a pro-Fury crowd at the MGM Grand hotel roared in delight.
“I wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield,” Wilder said. “He did what he did. There’s no excuses.”
Wilder, who at 6-7 and 231 pounds was the smaller man in the ring to the 6-9 British giant, was backpedaling the entire fight, trying to catch Fury coming in
with a right hand. But he was never able to throw it effectively, and unable to deal with Fury’s jab either.
Two judges had Fury winning every round, while the third gave Wilder one round. Fury had a point deducted for grabbing and pushing in the fifth round.
“He manned up and he really did show the heart of a champion,” Fury said. “He’s a warrior. He will be back. He will be a champion again. But the king has returned.”