What Famous Knockdown in Heavyweight History Does This Remind You Of?

Here is Tyson Fury scoring one of his two knockdowns over Wilder (the second knockdown ... you know ... the one that wasn't a blow to the back of Wilder's head).

It's from a new/different angle. Now, watch closely. Particularly Wilder's feet. Doesn't Wilder's left foot cross over his right foot, causing him to trip? Don't body shots that put people down tend to be followed by a lot of wincing and fighters' grabbing their side where the shot landed? Wilder did none of that.

That knockdown wasn't Hopkins dropping Oscar. Or Ward nearly bending Gatti in half from a left in their first fight.

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I knew that clip reminded me of something. And someone online shared this. Chuck Wepner's now infamous knockdown of Muhammad Ali, which ESPN continues to hype as something it wasn't. Ali even reacts to the "knockdown" by Wepner the same way Wilder did when he stood up.

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I can understand why the referee would call it knockdown in both instances, because a shot landed as the fighters fell. But, clearly, the pain from the blow didn't cause either man to go down.

Call me crazy, but the "beatdown" on Saturday is looking less impressive as the days go on.

Enjoy the victory party.

Because Wilder stops Fury in August. And, oh man, is that victory party going to be fun.

 

I think the commute I had yesterday was harder than that body punch Top Rank posted.

His feet clearly cross. They didn't have that angle Saturday night.

Replay tends to shed new light, doesn't it?

 

Actually, when Wilder says he was hurt worse against Luis Ortiz in their first fight, I think he's right. Ortiz didn't knock Wilder down, but he had Wilder nearly out on his feet.

Fury put Wilder down twice Saturday, but one was a shot to the back of the head. And the other was that body shot, which, from the ringside angle, is clearly a slip.

If this had been a Roberto Duran-Davey Moore-type beatdown, I'd say Wilder should call it a day. But these videos being posted by people at ringside are providing a new perspective on the fight the TV broadcast didn't.

Fury has yet to prove he can drop Wilder with a punch to the jaw/chin. Wilder has flattened Fury with a shot to the jaw. Emphatically.

The third fight in this series is going to be epic.

 

I posted visual proof he tripped over his own feet.

Proof isn't trolling.

Wilder didn't sound like a guy who nearly had his life ended when he was interviewed in the ring immediately afterward. He even told the fans to drive home safely.

 

I'm invested in the heavyweights. I am a big fan of the heavyweights. I prefer them over the other divisions. I always have. I really like Wilder's fights. I really like Fury's fights. I really want this generation of heavyweights to fight each other. And they are. I'm not sorry I'm enjoying it while it's going on. It's a boxing site. That's what we do. We enjoy boxing and talk about fighters.

I'm not posting this stuff on an NFL message board or a Tech Geek board. It's a boxing board.

The heavyweights from decades ago fought one trilogy or series after another. In the classic forum, people brag and go on and on about which heavyweights fought so-and-so four or five times.

The guys today sign to fight more than once, and everyone here is like "They've fought enough. That's it."

 

And Ali got dropped by Wepner.

I'm just pointing out the knockdowns are the same. Because THEY ARE.

People have talked about the Ali-Wepner knockdown for 45 years. I can't talk about the knockdowns in Fury-Wilder II?

Why? Because one knockdown was from a punch behind the head and the other was clearly a guy tripping over his feet?

Feel free to move on if you have nothing to add.