By Rich Mancuso/ Sports Editor
Photo: PBC
Tyson Fury, now a formidable name in boxing history.. Saturday night, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Fury, secured part of his legacy with a dominant win over Deontay Wilder in their second fight.
Yes, Fury is now the WBC heavyweight champion, legitimate and on top of the heap. A few years ago that was hard to envision, Fury, then, battled mental health issues. He was more suited for a career in the WWE. Those scripted appearances in their ring will come more.
But now, with a dominant seventh round stoppage over Wilder, Tyson Fury is in command. He has the persona. Tyson Fury is a draw. He can box.
In boxing, and with all of those attributes, that will go a long way. Though, Fury, has stated two more fights with a lucrative Top Rank/ESPN contract will be enough. The boxing fan and public, and after this dominance Saturday night, they want to see more of Tyson Fury.
So now, the prevailing question, what is next for Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder? A trilogy will have to wait, that is, if Wilder opts for the rematch clause and that is expected.
But for Tyson Fury, and what the boxing world awaits, is a mega unification bout with WBA/IBF/WBO) champion Anthony Joshua. Boxing deserves a unified heavyweight champion in a division that has always been a face of the sport.
With two of the premiere England boxing stars, it is expected a unification bout will be held across the pond. Rival networks and promoters, Fury with ESPN and Top Rank, Joshua with DAZN and Matchroom Boxing, will work a deal.
In the end, promoters and networks come to an agreement, as they did with this fight Saturday night. They won’t pass on a potential Fury-Joshua fight, as there is too much revenue to pass off.
So, fans will eventually see a mega fight for the heavyweight title. Fury, and boxing overall are healthy with various streaming networks ESPN, DAZN, PBC on Fox Sports and Showtime.
The heavyweight division has seen a revival since the departure of the Klitschko Brothers, who were criticized for picking opponents over their 12-year reign.
But this fight, and the one prior with Wilder and Fury in 2018, was the most anticipated since 2002 when Lennox Lewis knocked out Mike Tyson to defend the titles.
Wilder, has dropped to the third best heavyweight. He may have to wait in line for a possible trilogy. He lost to an exceptional fighter with a plan that was carried out to perfection.
Safety of the fighter comes first and that explains the actions of Mark Breland, the two-time champion in the corner. Wilder had no balance and was taking punishment.
As successful as this fight was, and the pay-per-view numbers will show, Deontay Wilder did not quit. There does leave room for more of those lucrative title fights and his goal of unifying the heavyweight title.
“Even the greatest have lost and come back,” Wilder said. “This is just part of it, you take it for what it is.”
So, we have not seen the last of Deontay Wilder. We witnessed those heavyweights that continued after the first loss and losing the title. Muhamamd Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Lennox, Lewis, Mike Tyson, to name a few.
Deontay Wilder, in that category, because It was not his night and every fighter will succumb to something that went wrong, but they know how to recuperate and come right back.
The stats tell the story from CompuBox:
Fury out threw Wilder 267 to 141 and out landed him 82 to 34, including the fifth and sixth rounds where he landed 16 and 14 power punches. In round seven, Fury had Wilder cornered and unloaded with power punches. That was the difference. Wilder’s corner stopped the bout, and the referee concurred at 1:39 of the round.
“Fury stuck to the game plan,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. He holds the rights to Fury. Matchroom Boxing and Ed Hearn have the rights to Joshua.
Let the negotiations begin, but do not count out Deontay Wilder. He is still a part of this heavyweight title mix.
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