San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
FURY EARNS KNOCKOUT OF WILDER IN ROUND 11
Tyson Fury got up from two fourth-round knockdowns and stopped Deontay Wilder in the 11th round Saturday night at Las Vegas, retaining his WBC title in a thrilling conclusion to a superlative heavyweight trilogy.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOS) finished Wilder for the second straight time in their trilogy, but only after a wild back-and-forth bout featuring five combined knockdowns.
Wilder was knocked down in the third round and appeared to be on his way out, but he improbably rallied to knock down Fury twice in the final minutes of the fourth round.
Wilder (42-2-1) absorbed enormous punishment and appeared to be physically drained for much of the bout, but the veteran champion showed his toughness while still throwing power shots on weary legs.
Fury knocked down Wilder again with a concussive right hand midway through the 10th, but Wilder stunned Fury in the final seconds.
Fury finally finished it in the 11th, sending Wilder face-first to the canvas with a chopping right hand fired from high in the air. Fury climbed onto the ropes in weary celebration before a frenzied crowd of 15,820 at Tmobile Arena on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
The fight likely concluded one of the most memorable heavyweight rivalries in recent boxing history. A trilogy is a rarity in the fractured modern sport, but Fury and Wilder brought out the best in each other through a series spanning nearly three calendar years.
College basketball
Gonzaga coach Mark Few will miss two exhibition games and the first game of the regular season after he was arrested last month on suspicion of driving under the influence. Few will not be on the sideline for Gonzaga’s exhibition games on Oct. 31 against Eastern Oregon and Nov. 5 against Lewis-clark State, and the regular-season opener on Nov. 9 versus Dixie State. His first game will be Nov. 13 against Texas, a showdown of expected top-10 teams.
Soccer
With group leader Italy away on Nations League duty, Switzerland took control of second place in their World Cup qualifying section after beating Northern Ireland 2-0.
England moved closer to World Cup qualification with a 5-0 win at Andorra. Ben Chilwell and Bukayo Saka scored in the first half against the side ranked 156th in the world then Tammy Abraham, James Ward-prowse and Jack Grealish scored after the break.
Denmark marched on in its perfect World Cup qualifying campaign and Scotland found a stoppage-time winning goal against Israel to tighten its grip on second place in Europe Group F. Denmark’s 4-0 win at Moldova made it seven straight wins, still no goals conceded, and a sevenpoint lead over Scotland with three rounds of games left. Scotland put its fans through an emotional evening against Israel before Scott Mctominay scored late to secure a 3-2 win at a sold-out Hampden Park.
Horse racing
A number of “Win and You’re In” races for next month’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar were held at Belmont Park and Keeneland Race Course.
In New York, Following Sea ($7), trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Joel Rosario, won the Grade II Vosburgh for a berth in the BC Sprint.
In Kentucky, Bell’s the One ($4.20) took the Grade II Thoroughbred Club of America to earn a spot in the BC Filly & Mare Sprint.
Blowout ($12.60) scored a victory for jockey Flavien Prat and trainer
Chad Brown in the Grade I First Lady for a berth in a BC Filly and Mare Turf.
Rattle N Roll ($19.40) took the Grade I Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity to gain a spot in the BC Juvenile. Finally, In Love ($26.60), trained by former Southern California resident Paulo Lobo, scored an upset in the Grade I Keeneland Turf Mile and is now eligible for the BC Mile.
Local colleges
The Point Loma Nazarene women’s volleyball team (10-6, 6-2 Pacwest) beat Fresno Pacific (4-14, 1-7) on the road, 29-27, 25-13, 25-16. Torina Hommes had 14 kills for the Sea Lions.