The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Big punches deliver for Fury in stunning knockout victory
Wilder sustains first loss as team throws in towel in seventh.
LAS VEGAS — Tyson Fury reinvented himself once again, and once again he’s a heavyweight champion.
The Gypsy King dropped Deontay Wilder twice Saturday night in their heavyweight title rematch, turning from boxer to puncher to win the title when Wilder’s corner threw in the towel as he was taking a beating in the seventh round.
Wilder was the devastating puncher in their first fight — a draw — 14 months ago. In this fight, 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. He also bloodied Wilder’s ear, and seemed to lick the blood off his shoulder in a bizarre scene in the sixth round.
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 before Fury went in for the shoulder lick.
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.
Ringside punch stats demonstrated Fury’s dominance, showing him outlanding Wilder 82-34 in total punches. Fury landed 58 power punches in less than seven rounds of the rematch after landing just 38 in the first fight. Wilder landed just 34 punches all fight and just 18 power shots.
Wilder briefly protested the stoppage, as a proFury crowd of 15,816 at the MGM Grand hotel roared in delight. Wilder, who at 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds was the smaller man in the ring to the 6-foot-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. One point was deducted in the fifth round for grabbing and pushing by Fury.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) had bulked up to 273 pounds for the rematch, vowing to change tactics and become the big puncher. He was true to his word, dominating early with a jab that stopped Wilder in his tracks and then landing combinations to the head and body, against a fighter who had gone 12 years without losing as a pro. It was a stunning end to an unbeaten mark that had seen Wilder knock out 41 of his previous 43 opponents.