The Affirmation and Re-Affirmation — The Aftermath of Wilder vs Fury
A heavyweight showdown for the ages in Hollywood produces an epic exclamation point to a story-line befitting of any Rocky movie. Perfectly setting up a sequel
The lead in to Saturday’s heavyweight title showdown between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury seemed like an orchestrated diversion from ever discussing what was going to unfold when they eventually met in the squared circle. Outliers claiming that the fight wouldn’t happen, those same outliers playing down the significance and profitability of the bout and then both protagonists clowning each other for weeks on end in the interest of attracting as many eyeballs as possible to their product. The skeptic who could easily look beyond all the bluster could easily envisage a fight which fell way short of the hype, largely due to Tyson Fury’s out of ring inactivity and his in ring negativity.
What we got was the second time this year where a huge showpiece boxing event surpassed every conceivable expectation. A rarity in this era of high stakes and measured gambles. Deontay Wilder often produced eye catching trailblazing displays before and during his seven fight long title reign. Tyson Fury on the other hand, like a good number of top level loquacious prizefighters who preceded him, never delivered the type of performances which matched his constant bleating and boasting and after Saturday night that perhaps still remains the case.
But nobody can say that he didn’t come damn close this time around.
Mixed in with trademark defensive instincts, was much needed aggression and valiance from Fury in important quarters of the fight. Aggression which helped made rounds which looked close more decisive (to the eyes of many but not the three judges) and valiance which saw him rally back from two knockdowns and pour heat on a reckless Wilder. The latter knockdown, a crunching right cross left hook combination by the defending champion, would’ve been the closing remark to most men’s evenings, perhaps even some men’s careers. Yet Fury, forever the aspiring actor, rose up to beat the count as if he were impersonating the Undertaker.
When it became abundantly clear early on that Fury hadn’t lost much of a step three years removed from his last serious boxing ordeal (and only previous world title bout), then a great deal of the success he did have came of little shock. It was of little shock that Fury limited Wilder’s power punch output by taking away his jab, it was of little shock that Fury was often able to glide around the ring whilst flicking away at Wilder with his own left and right jabs and it was most definitely of little shock when Wilder, forever the “Happy Gilmore” of boxing, often flapped away recklessly trying to pin the Gypsy King down, resembling an amateur fly swatting competition.
However, this fight in many ways re-affirmed the essence of Deontay Wilder the fighter and emphasised, despite his many critics and doubters, why exactly he is in the position he is today as one of the divisions best. It was merely a re-affirmation of what people should’ve known before, which is that Wilder, for all his shortcomings, remains live in any fight from it’s first second to its very last one. He still remains a rare physical breed, with an eraser not only unmatched by his current contemporaries but also matched by very few in the illustrious era’s of heavyweight boxing which have preceded him. At 33 years young and 41 fights in, the question remains as to how long Wilder’s right hand can be uncorked to bail him out, especially at the highest level of the sport, but until that day comes, he remains one of the sports most must see attractions and a prominent divisional figurehead.
But as much as this fight reminded us about who Deontay Wilder is, more pertinently this fight, despite the eventual (highly debatable) draw verdict, gave us the clearest picture possible about who Tyson Fury the fighter is.
We saw Fury as a young novice pro telling anyone who would listen that he would become a champion and then laughed as received verdicts he didn’t deserve, bored us to sleep in countless showcases and struggled against opponents he shouldn’t have been struggling against. We saw Fury dethrone a long reigning champion in enemy territory and then ridicule the quality of the fight and questioned the legitimacy of what he had just achieved. We then saw Fury spiral into a deep abyss, filled with PED scandals, excess weight gain, recreational drug abuse and deep depression and then close the book on the possibility of him returning to future glories. And now we saw Fury exhibit the near complete package of credentials befitting a heavyweight champion — from poise and ring craft to fortitude and resilience. This occasion will be best remembered above everything else as the ultimate affirmation of Tyson Fury as the upper echelon heavyweight boxer he always professed to being.
If you like Sunday Puncher, you can check out more recent articles, subscribe to our boxing calendar, subscribe to our podcast, follow us on Twitter, and follow us on Facebook.