Tyson Fury stops Deontay Wilder as corner throws in towel in 7th
Tyson Fury, known as "The Gypsy King," can now be known simply as the king. Fury dispensed with the skillful boxing he was so successful with the first time he met Deontay Wilder and followed through with his stated plan to attack him. And attack him he did relentlessly. Fury scored a pair of knockdowns in a dominating victory that ended in the seventh round when Wilder's corner threw in the towel before an electric, sold-out crowd of 15,816 on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Fury retained the lineal heavyweight championship and seized Wilder's WBC belt with the win.
Fury came into the fight with new trainer Javan "Sugar" Hill, the nephew of the late Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward whom Fury hired after parting ways with Ben Davison. And Fury celebrated in the ring following his postfight television interview by leading the crowd in singing Don McLean's famed "American Pie." The bout was a far different one than when the fighters squared off in December 2018 in Los Angeles. Then, Fury outboxed Wilder for long stretches, but Wilder knocked Fury down in the ninth round and seemingly knocked him out with a brutal combination in the 12th round that Fury somehow survived. In the end, the judges ruled it a split draw: 114-112 Fury, 115-111 Wilder and 113-113.
This time, Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), 34, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, came nowhere near doing the kind of damage he did to Fury the first time, nor did Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), 31, bother to box. Fury wanted to fight.With a crowd filled with Fury's British countrymen, Fury and Wilder went right at each other at the opening bell, with Wilder shooting jabs and landing two good right hands, but not cleanly. Fury was more patient but eventually backed Wilder up with a combination that brought the crowd to its feet. Fury landed a few more shots later in the round to clearly take the opening frame.
Fury, who retained the lineal title for the sixth time, continued to press the action in the third round, landing sharp combinations and jabs and a right over the top that forced Wilder to grab, before Fury unleashed a right hand that caught Wilder and dropped him. Fury raised his hands over his head, but Wilder beat the count and seemed to be in trouble. Wilder went down again moments later, but referee Kenny Bayless ruled it a slip.