It was an epic night for heavyweight boxing as undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury went 12 rounds at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday. Fury’s technique overshadowed Wilder’s power for the majority of the fight until it became evident that Wilder was going to need a knockout to win.

Wilder finally landed a big shot in the ninth round to put Fury down, but Fury got back up and picked up where he left off with heavy feints and impressive head movement that allowed him to capitalize on his quick jabs, double-jabs, and combinations. He went on to seemingly take the next two rounds until Wilder landed a right cross-left hook combo in the twelfth and final round that everyone thought had won him the fight and knocked Fury unconscious.

The crowd went nuts, Wilder began celebrating, but then watch his face as the unthinkable happened. Fury’s eyes reopened, his body reanimated, and he somehow got back to his feet.

The ref made Fury show that he could walk and could continue and then he was right back in there, not only surviving, but boxing well and landing shots until the final bell.

The popular consensus was that despite Wilder’s two knockdowns, Fury had outboxed him for pretty much every other round and deserved the decision victory. Instead it was ruled a draw and it sets up what is sure to be a rematch of historic proportions.

Leave a Reply