The Fight

As many of you have witness, this was one of the most intense and thrilling fights ever. This fight had me on the edge of my seat until the final bell rang. I have watched Fury boxed Klitschko and saw some of Wilder’s fights on YouTube. I predicted Wilder was going to knock Fury out before the 6th round.

However, I was pretty shocked with the decision of a draw that night in which I had scored the fight 9 rounds for Fury and 3 for Wilder (including the 2 rounds in which Fury was knocked down). With the two knockdowns, I could see how some may have been able to pull out a draw.

Ways which the Judges could have pulled off a draw

1. Wilder was the champion, and to beat the champion on the scorecards had to be in a very convincing fashion (seriously hurting, knockdowns or even knockouts) for the judges to award the challenger.
2. Fury was a visitor, and it was in Wilder’s country
3. Wilder was the aggressor, and judges liked that more.

Either way, if the fight was judged on how boxing matches should be scored, Fury should have won the match. He had better ring generalship, better defense which he was slipping and dodging punches all night with the exception of the two punches which knocked him down.  In boxing, the rounds are awarded to the boxer with better ring generalship, effective aggression, defense and clean and effective punching.

The Controversy

Judges Scores: 115-111 Wilder (from judge Alejandro Rochin), 114-112 Fury (Robert Tapper) and 113-113 draw (Phil Edwards)

The controversy was mainly focused on the judge who had given Fury only 5 rounds, which means he would have lost even if the knockdowns didn’t happen. If this judge scored the fight correctly, it would have been a split decision win for Fury. There’s no doubt throughout the fight Fury maintained most of the pace and out boxed Wilder who was looking to land the one lucky punch.

There were other controversies after the fight such as Wilder claiming that Fury did not get up in the 12th round, and the referee gave him extra long counts to recover. I personally did not see that happening. Jack Reiss received many praises for not waving off the fight and giving Fury a chance to get up.

Wilder also stated that he broke his arm before training camp and did not throw his right hand much in training.

Kudos to the Fighters

I have to admit, I became a Tyson Fury fan overnight. Not only did he overcome his past struggles with weight issues resulting from drugs and his fight with mental issues, he put on a stellar performance. I was extremely impressed with how he was able to duck and dodge all those punches and when he rose from the 12th round knock down, everyone watching thought the fight was over. He showed perseverance and it’s amazing to see how much he’s overcome. He also donated his purse from the fight to the homeless, which was a very selfishness and respectable act.

On similar note, Deontay Wilder came into the sport very late with not the desires of fame and fortune, but to help his sick daughter and support his family. Both are extraordinary human beings.

Overall, I commend both fighters. They gave us one heck of a fight and would love to see it again soon.

The Rematch

From the sounds of it, both fighters are ready to go and the WBC sanctioned the fight. We are likely going to see it happen sometime between April and June 2019. I think to be fair, the fight should happen in UK this time and I can see Fury winning the second fight, especially if it goes to the scorecards. Fury was out of the ring for too long without a solid fight and will be much sharper this time. However, if Wilder starts adding more to his arsenal, he could pull it off.

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