In the wake of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury's exciting draw in last night's battle at the Staples Center, the focus shifts from analysis of the action to possibilities for the future. There is no doubt that both Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) and Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) deserve recognition as champions. Ironically, Wilder was able to defend his WBC Title with the draw and Fury was able to retain his identity as the lineal champ. The man who beat the man who beat the man...After 28 fights, no one has yet defeated Tyson Fury.
The first thing to show itself in the contest was Fury's effective strategies. Fury was much more offensively successful than he was in his other 'super fight' against Wladimir Klitschko. Fury was able to catch Wilder quite often with stiff jabs and crisp right hands. By round 6, Wilder's face was showing the impact of Fury's offensive accuracy. Wilder was still throwing hard, threatening power shots but both his inactivity and inaccuracy had him looking like the strategic loser of the bout.
In round 9, Wilder's brute force finally paid dividends, as he drove Fury to the canvas with a combination of cuffing shots. Fury rose and recovered, but Wilder turned it into a competitive fight with that knockdown.
Fury returned to effective boxing in round 10, putting Wilder in a desperate position entering round 11. But Wilder rose to the occasion and was the more aggressive fighter down the stretch, chasing Fury and occasionally landing with wide, powerful shots. Finally, in round 12, Wilder landed 2 crushing shots on Fury that most likely had ended the contest. Fury lay flat on his back. Here he was, the wild yet powerful champion Wilder, scoring yet another late knockdown with the sheer force of his will. Yet at the count of 9, Fury rose. He beat the count and then began scoring with hard shots to end the round. Wilder almost caught him, but Fury took it to the judges. It seemed likely to be close.
In the end, 115-111 Wilder, 114-110 Fury and 113-113 are not the worst scorecards I've ever seen. It's not even close to the worst draw I've ever seen, and in many ways it works out quite well for both fighters. I thought Fury won by a point. But one point should never be enough to ensure a clear decision, and Wilder's 2 knockdowns gave great credibility to an even result. Deontay Wilder saved his title with a 12th round knockdown. Tyson Fury showed the world that he is perhaps better than ever. Things could be worse for the Heavyweights.
The future of the division could hardly be brighter. Before this fight, many considered Wilder and Joshua to be nearly even with each other. Now we know that Wilder and Fury are quite even, leaving a very real possibility that the best man in the division is still decidedly unclear, but ultimately remains to be proven between Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
Here's to a Fury win in a rematch with Wilder, and the mega fight with Anthony Joshua we'd all love to see...
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