Bloodied Fury earns unanimous decision, sets up Wilder rematch

Blood was flowing down Tyson Fury’s right cheek, and Otto Wallin was in his face. His scheduled rematch with Deontay Wilder suddenly in jeopardy, Fury needed to dig deep in a fight that wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

Fury did that Saturday night in Las Vegas, overcoming a bloody cut over his right eye to pound out a unanimous decision over his Swedish opponent and set up a lucrative heavyweight rematch with Deontay Wilder.

Fury remained unbeaten in 29 fights and retained his claim to the lineal heavyweight title against a fighter who was little known but gave the big Englishman all he could handle. “I couldn’t see out of my eye, ”Fury said. “I got cut over my eye and it changed the fight completely.”

With blood streaming down his face, Fury dominated from the middle rounds on in what was supposed to be little more than a tuneup for his scheduled February rematch with Wilder. He was a 30-1 favorite at fight time.

The three ringside judges had Fury winning by scores of 118110, 117-111 and 116-112. The Associated Press had Fury winning 116-112.

“It’s all heart and determination,” Fury said. “If I can keep going, I keep going. Otto is a great Swede, a Viking warrior.”

Fury was cut over his right eye in the third round, and it clearly bothered him. Blood flowed down the right side of his face and stained his trunks.

Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight briefly in the sixth round for the ringside doctor to look at the eye. When the fight resumed, Fury fought at a quicker pace, seemingly realizing he might be running out of time.