Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury

Deontay Wilder retained his WBC world heavyweight championship on a split draw with Tyson Fury after twelve rounds at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, on Saturday, December 1, 2018. Fury was knocked down in the ninth and twelfth rounds but recovered on each occasion, returning to the attack after the second fall when his defeat had appeared imminent. Before an announced crowd of 17,698, the challenger’s movement and accurate boxing repeatedly frustrated Wilder, whose two knockdowns proved essential to preserving his championship. The contest left both men unbeaten and produced immediate calls from the principals for a return meeting.

Wilder was making his eighth defence, having won all forty of his previous professional contests, thirty-nine inside the distance. Fury entered with twenty-seven victories and was undertaking only his third fight since returning from a prolonged absence. He had defeated Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 but had not defended the championships he won that night. Following personal difficulties and considerable weight gain, he resumed boxing in June 2018 and beat Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta before accepting Wilder’s challenge. Those appearances had provided little indication of how he would withstand a championship contest against so dangerous a puncher. Ben Davison headed Fury’s corner, assisted by Freddie Roach and Ricky Hatton.

The opening rounds were largely a contest of distance and timing. Wilder advanced, looking for room to deliver his right hand, while Fury feinted, changed the position of his gloves and moved his head and shoulders to disturb the champion’s aim. Fury occasionally put his hands behind his back or raised them above his head, but coupled these gestures with short scoring attacks. Wilder used his jab more frequently in the second, a closely contested round in which neither man landed heavily enough to establish clear command. In the third, Fury’s brief combinations and constant movement made Wilder hesitate or reach after him. The challenger was making the champion expend effort without offering a stationary target.

Wilder found some success with his jab in the fourth and bloodied Fury’s nose, but could not consistently follow with his heavier punches. The fifth remained measured, with relatively few sustained exchanges. Fury became more assertive in the sixth, switching to a southpaw stance and backing Wilder towards the ropes. In the seventh, he landed firm right hands, then avoided the champion’s attempts to retaliate. Swelling developed around Wilder’s left eye. Fury continued to work effectively in the eighth, using his jab to prepare further punches and withdrawing when Wilder launched his right. Although the challenger was frequently doing the cleaner work, the rounds were not being judged alike: after eight, Robert Tapper had Fury ahead 78-74, and Phil Edwards favoured him 77-75, while Alejandro Rochin had Wilder leading 77-75.

The ninth brought the first substantial change. Wilder caught Fury with a right hand high on the head, behind the left ear, and sent him to the canvas. Fury rose and was allowed to continue by referee Jack Reiss. Wilder pressed for a finish, throwing heavily as the challenger ducked, held and sought opportunities to answer. Fury survived the immediate danger and was sufficiently recovered to resume his gestures of confidence before the round ended. The knockdown had narrowed the contest, but Wilder had been unable to turn it into a sustained advantage. Fury came forward again in the tenth, scoring with jabs and long rights and making the champion retreat. The eleventh was less eventful, though Fury continued to find openings while Wilder missed with attempts to land decisively. All three judges awarded those two rounds to Fury.

Early in the twelfth, Wilder landed the combination that came nearest to settling the contest. A right hand followed by a left hook dropped Fury heavily onto his back. He lay still for the opening portion of Reiss’s count, while Wilder appeared convinced that the fight was finished. Fury then stirred, turned and regained his feet before the count was completed. Reiss examined him and instructed him to move before permitting the action to resume. Wilder attacked again and landed further punches, but Fury held when necessary and began to answer. Rather than merely surviving until the bell, the challenger recovered sufficiently to land right hands and force Wilder to give ground. Both men remained standing at the finish and embraced after the bell.

The official cards reflected the contrast between Fury’s work over the greater part of the distance and Wilder’s two damaging rounds. Rochin scored 115-111 for Wilder, Tapper returned 114-112 for Fury, and Edwards recorded 113-113. Every judge scored the ninth and twelfth 10-8 for the champion; no points were deducted. Their principal disagreements concerned the earlier rounds, with Rochin giving Wilder each of the first four while the other two officials awarded Fury the second, third and fourth. The announcement of the draw drew boos from the crowd. CompuBox credited Fury with landing 84 of 327 punches and Wilder with 71 of 430, figures consistent with the challenger’s greater accuracy but also with the relatively restrained volume of much of the contest.

Wilder afterwards acknowledged that he had rushed his punches and forced the right hand, although he maintained that the knockdowns had earned him victory. Fury believed he had done enough to win despite his two visits to the canvas. The championship remained with Wilder, whose record became forty victories and one draw, while Fury left with twenty-seven victories and a draw. The challenger had demonstrated that his judgement of distance and defensive movement remained effective at championship level. The champion had shown, particularly in the last round, that his punching could alter a contest even after long periods of unsuccessful pursuit.

I had Fury winning this. Two knockdowns count, but they don’t wipe out the rounds Wilder spent reaching, missing and getting picked off. Fury’s feints kept making him hesitate, and when Wilder forced the right hand, Tyson changed position and answered. That was the difference in their boxing.

After the long absence and comeback wins over Seferi and Pianeta, I questioned whether Fury was ready for this level again. He answered that. His awkwardness gave supporters something to enjoy, while Wilder’s punch kept everyone watching regardless of who was ahead.

The recovery in the twelfth deserves the applause, particularly because Fury fought back afterwards. But I rate the control he showed before it just as highly. Wilder remained dangerous throughout; his pursuit was often crude. For me, Fury earned the decision, and the draw denied him a deserved win.