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![]() ![]() ![]() Not after he does exactly what he said he will in fight after fight. He may be more correct in that assessment than even Wilder knows. Fury has said this is a make-or-break fight for Wilder. But for Wilder, maybe having a friend in the corner – someone he trusts – is more a psychological benefit than a tactical boost. Short of getting Wilder to actually commit to his jab and adding a couple of wrinkles to try to disguise the delivery of his right hand, there isn’t much Scott can actually do. He can’t turn a 35-year-old Wilder into a two-fisted banger. Wilder has hired Malik Scott, a man whom he previously beat, and who has been a friend for years, to run his camp. Not over the past 19 rounds with the Brit. In his heart, he believes that all he needs to do is land his best weapon, that big right hand, on Fury. It took him more than a decade of soul-searching to accept the truth: that he’d simply been beaten, on that night, by the better man. Tyson simply could not accept that ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield had his number in the ring.įoreman himself, for many years, continued to claim that his water had been tampered with in the Ali fight. Mike Tyson, whom the British Fury is named after, similarly blamed ‘repeated headbutts’ by Evander Holyfield for his shambolic performance in what has become known as the Bite Fight. To be fair to Kovalev, he was harshly treated by the judges in the first Ward fight which most ringside observers either scored in his favour or called it a draw (there’s boxing’s inclination to follow the money again). Former light heavyweight champion Sergey ‘Krusher’ Kovalev, twice defeated by the smaller Andre Ward, pulled out some familiar tropes: biased judges, low blows and the good old poisoned water. Wilder is hardly the first big puncher to cling to such excuses in the aftermath of crushing defeat. The only thing that’s left for him to blame the boxing media and declare his stoppage loss in the second fight as ‘fake news’. Since his defeat, Wilder has continued to spout conspiracy theories: the gloves were loaded, the referee was biased, the water was poisoned, blah blah blah. Calling him a “weak individual” and claiming, without any evidence, that Breland was part of some conspiracy to take away his title. Not only had he preserved his fighter’s health – in a refreshing change from far too tough corners willing to their fighters die in the ring – he even secured Wilder another six-figure payday against Fury. Wilder should have thanked Breland, ideally with a hug and a cartoonishly large sack of money. The likes of which could have had life-changing ramifications. Only the intervention of Wilder’s trainer Mark Breland, a former world champion boxer and Golden Gloves winner, saved the American from a sustained and savage beating. He hurt Wilder repeatedly and sent him to the canvas multiple times. And, after busting Wilder’s ear, flicked his tongue out and actually did. Fury had, in the run-up to the fight, announced that he “wanted to taste blood”. His best punches, when he rarely seemed to land them, had no impact. And proceeded to do exactly what he said he would. Like Muhammad Ali in Zaire against the big-punching George Foreman, Fury charged at Wilder when the opening bell sounded. Only Fury, who brought in Kronk Gym’s SugarHill Steward as his trainer and came in the heaviest weight of his career, believed.įury’s performance, on that night, was near flawless. Prior to the fight, Fury announced his intention to go on the offensive. And boxing, almost without fail, follows the money. The money was in the rematch between Wilder and Fury. The decision, a draw, was lustily booed by fans at ringside. ![]() By the time the bell sounded, it was Fury who was punishing Wilder with right hands. Nor could he land a clean shot on Fury for the rest of the round. And with him, the countless Undertaker memes on social media. Wilder, in the far corner, was already doing a victory dance. And down went Fury.Įveryone thought it was over. That was a perfect right-left combination from the boxing gods. But the second time, in round 12, was different. Fury looked sheepish, almost embarrassed. The first, in round 9, was more of a grazing punch. His herky-jerky style giving Wilder fights and making the ‘Bronze Bomber’ repeatedly and wildly miss with his money punch. Fury playing stick and move for most of the fight. Which is almost exactly how the first fight played out. Many boxing observers also reckoned that while Fury could outbox Wilder for the best part of the fight, it was only a matter of time before Wilder dropped Thor’s Hammer on Fury’s chin. His own father predicted doom, telling Fury he wasn’t near ready and that Wilder would “hurt him”. But the usual boxing horse**** purse split, date and venue got in the way. Indeed, both Wilder and Joshua camps had flirted with making the superfight in 2018. ![]()
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