Well.... time for me to eat my crow on Wilder vs Fury. I wasnt just wrong on the outcome, I was wrong on Furys ability to win at a distance (meaning, I thought for him to win, hed have to make it an ugly fight) So.... heres a quick list of my thoughts on the fight. * I genuinely didnt think Fury would be able to get into the kind of shape he had himself. There is a difference between looking in shape, which... for Fury at least, he somewhat did, and being in fighting shape. I figured that hed start off at the pace he did, but due to the abuse and condition hed been in, that he would find himself gassing and slowing down mid to late in the fight, and thats when Wilder would catch him. I can not believe he was able to fight that way for 12 rounds. I need to reiterate that in my next point... * I can not believe, that a 30 year old, 6ft 9'', almost 260lb guy, on the comeback from genuine obesity and drug abuse, is able to not only fight in the manner and style that Fury does (that herky jerky, twitchy, energetic style), but is able to SUSTAIN it for all 12 rounds. People might think I am overreacting here, but genuinely, Fury being able to fight like that, at his weight, at his height, at his age, and after these last few years, is one of the most exceptional things Ive seen in recent boxing history. Guys his size arent supposed to be able to do that. I truly think its remarkable. I did not think hed be able to do that. * I thought the fight was over in the 12th when Fury went down. I didnt think he would be getting up, and when he was starting to get up I thought surely he will be wobbly, surely the ref will look in his eyes and wave it off. Nah... not only did he drag himself up, HE WAS THE ONE COMING FORWARD AFTERWARDS! Incredible! I still cant believe it. I felt fairly sure that when Wilder finally found the punch that short circuited Fury, that would be it. I did not think Fury would be able to get up from something like that. Absolutely amazing. * Fury made Wilder look pretty bad in there. To be honest, he looked like a barely better heavyweight version of Edison Miranda. Fury was always going to be the more skilled of the two, but dear lord.... I didnt think it would look that that that bad. Wilder once said something to the effect of, the science of boxing is a myth, or something like that. Well I wonder if he believes it now. He looked so lost, so often... and so limited, so often. I was expecting that to a degree, but I figured his power would make Tyson a bit more hesitant, which would allow Wilder to control the distance and control the fight. Tyson didnt give a rats ass about his power, and instead was able to impose his skills and will because of it. * Honestly? I genuinely thought Tyson was going to stop Wilder a few times in there. I think that depending on when their rematch happens, and depending on what condition Fury keeps himself in, or lets himself go, I genuinely am a bit worried that Fury will stop Wilder in a rematch. * Now that I see that current Fury is truly, truly in fighting shape.... and he can fight like that for 12 rounds, that he can take Wilders flush power punches, and that he can beat Wilder not just in close but at range.... hard not to see him as the comfortable favorite for the rematch, obviously. That being said, I do think that Wilder will also come with a bit better idea of what to expect, and can perhaps also fight a bit better. I can see absolutely anything happening, but.... obviously, my pick will most likely have to be Fury to get the decision. Usually, not always, but usually, when its raw talent vs skills.... the skills pull away the more often they fight. * I hate to say it, but I admit I did overate Wilder, and I will say that I overrated him by quite a bit. Even though much of my prediction was based on a poorer version of Fury showing up, I have to admit that with how completely ineffective and incapable Wilder appeared in so many segments, hes simply not as good as I thought he was. * While Wilder is still one of my favorite fighters in the sport, and I will be rooting for him in the rematch again, Fury made a genuine fan of me tonight. His heart, his will, his mental strength, his humility and class after the fight.... getting up from that knockdown, I can not praise him enough tonight. Maybe I am overreacting, but I truly think what he did in there tonight was remarkable for a man of his size and recent history. A man that size, with that stamina, with that heart, with that mental strength, and the ability and recovery to get up from truly concussive knockdowns.... I dont care who you are, that is hard to beat. And I mean that from a historical perspective. This performance puts Fury up there to me as a force in with some of the best (barring af few) all time head to head discussions. Again, maybe Im overreacting, but I was blown away by what he displayed. * I am not making a big deal about it at all, hell Id have to actually count for myself, but Im just saying... personally, seemed to me that Fury got quite a bit of time to recover from that knockdown. Not sure Wilder could have done anything with it, but Id be interested in counting how many seconds actually transpired from when Fury went down to when the action resumed. This is not a point about 'what if', just an observation. I dont think much would change... Wilder seemed pretty spent. But its still important, imo. * Respect to both fighters with the class they displayed after the fight. * I was wrong, about multiple dimensions of this matchup, and Im ready to eat my crow. So go ahead and fire away
Since Fury did pretty much what I said he would, won the fight, and you gave him credit for it, ill give Wilder credit too. Hes always going to be an average boxer, but he can really bang. Great right hand that belongs with the best of them. Still a robbery though, no need for a rematch, bring on Joshua vs Fury for the world heavyweight championship. Ban the WBC from boxing. Get Wilder new management/promoter and on DAZN.
Not only is this one of the best things I've read on here, it's one of the most unbiased ones as well. After taking a break I'm not sure Fury would rematch Wilder, not in America anyway. Apart from the two knockdowns, Fury put an absolute clinic on Wilder and came away with a draw on the scorecards.
Wilder's career took a step backwards tonight. Will not get a big fight at home, before he fights in the UK.
I think it's worth mentioning Fury operates on skill moreso than physical prowess. His father John was pretty spot on in an IFL interview saying Tyson doesn't need to be 100% physically fit in this fight when the boxing brain remains intact. A sprinter years removed from the track will still retain proper biomechanics honed by years of quality repetition. Muscle memory is real, even for strength and endurance. A year long training stimulus is plenty for a pro athlete.
