My Account of Wilder Fury from inside Staples Center and LA

I know a lot of this forum is British and not many posters are LA based, so I figured I'd share a first hand account. And, to get it out of the way, I had Fury winning 8-4, minus the knockdowns so 114-112.

Buzz around LA really picked up in the 48 hours before the bout. Suddenly coworkers and friends started asking me about the fight, and promos were seen on social media. LA is a tough town with a ton of sports and entertainment, so sometimes an event only gains traction for a short bit. But, come Friday this town definitely had some fight feel.

Energy in the arena was great once the main event rolled around. The under card was underwhelming as expected, but the venue was jam packed before the Wilder/Fury fight and Fury's ring walk really got the crowd going. I have some footage on my cell phone if any mod wants me to email it to them.

The crowd was a nice mix of local and UK but I didn't see a single fight in the stands. That is incredibly rare at LA area cards. LSC vs. Mares, for example, had countless fights in the same venue. Probably the best crowd I've been a part of.

The fight was brilliant, we all saw it. It amazed me how quickly both men moved and punched. They were huge guys moving at the speed of much smaller guys.

And, while I'd been to many title fights before, there is definitely something different when it is a HW title fight. The prospect of it ending either way on one shot just brings an extra layer of drama and intensity.

After the egregious score from the Mexican judge was read, there was a justifiable groan in the audience, but more than one person in my area talked openly about the respect they had for both men, how they had become Fury fans now, and that the two had put on a great show.

One of the top fight experiences of my 40+ years on earth, despite the one bad score.

 

One from the US, one from Canada, one from Mexico. 8-4 Fury, 7-5 Fury, and 7-5 Wilder, respectively.

 

Nearly identical view, just 90 degrees to his left. My seats were similar in height. Glad he had fun.

 

and I've seen HW's before but none who moved as quickly as these two. But, yes, there is NOTHING like live boxing. Nothing.

 

Bonus note: I had the pleasure of meeting Andy Lee. Great guy, took a picture with me and my friends.

 

Ok. I was off on the Brit being US based. I had it the same as the Canadian and one early round different than the Brit (I viewed the official score cards).

Rochin's card is indefensible. I understand there are judges such as Lederman who put a huge emphasis on coming forwards and "making the fight" and that is just plain ignorant. Walking into punches and missing yours shouldn't win a round.