Fury vs Wilder 3 LIVE: Result, highlights and latest reaction as Tyson delivers knockout
Tyson Fury brilliantly retained his WBC crown over Deontay Wilder after rising from the canvas twice in an instant classic in Las Vegas
Tyson Fury got up from two fourth-round knockdowns and stopped Deontay Wilder in the 11th round Saturday night, retaining his WBC title in a thrilling conclusion to a superlative heavyweight trilogy.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) finished Wilder for the second straight time in their three bouts, but only after a wild back-and-forth evening featuring five combined knockdowns.
"It was a great fight," Fury said. "It was worthy of any trilogy in the history of the sport. He's a top fighter, and he gave me a real (test) tonight."
Wilder was knocked down in the third round and appeared to be on his way out, but he improbably rallied to knock down Fury twice in the final minutes of the fourth.
Wilder (42-2-1) absorbed enormous punishment and appeared to be physically drained for much of the bout, but the veteran champion showed his toughness while still throwing power shots on weary legs.
Fury knocked down Wilder again with a concussive right hand midway through the 10th, but Wilder stunned Fury in the final seconds of the round.
Fury finally finished it in the 11th, sending Wilder face-first to the canvas with a chopping right hand fired from high in the air. Fury climbed onto the ropes in weary celebration before a frenzied crowd of 15,820 at T-Mobile Arena on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
"Don't ever doubt me when the chips are down," Fury said. "I can always deliver."
Fury then broke into a rendition of "Walking in Memphis," in keeping with his post-fight tradition of serenading his crowds.
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Wilder not expected to stay at hospital overnight
Deontay Wilder was taken to hospital after sustaining such heavy punishment throughout the bout. His manager, Shelly Finkel, has confirmed that his checks have gone well so far and Wilder isn’t expected to have to stay overnight.
Official scorecards
Here are the official scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Fury was leading on all three meaning Wilder would have needed a knockout, or at least several knockdowns, in the final round.
Deontay Wilder reacts to his defeat
I did my best, but it wasn’t good enough tonight. I’m not sure what happened. I knew that he didn’t come in at 277lbs to be a ballet dancer. He came to lean on me, try to rough me up and he succeeded.
Tyson Fury’s reaction
I have proved time and again that I can never be written off. I didn’t have my best performance but I pulled it out of the bag when it needed to be done.
“He did keep getting up but it was that final right hand to the side of the head that finished him.
“I wasn’t hurt. You get hit, you wake up on the floor. I got up and was very conscious the whole time. I was one punch away from knocking him out in the whole fight.
“I went over and said well done and he said he didn’t want to show any sportsmanship or respect. Very surprised by that. He’s an idiot.
“I pray for him. I am thankful that we all get out of the right in one piece and get to go to our families.”
Fury celebrates victory over Wilder
Tyson Fury celebrates his heavyweight title defence against Deontay Wilder with a ringside sing-song. Take a look:
Fury defeats Wilder in trilogy fight
Fury proves again why he’s one of the best heavyweight boxers in the world.
‘Wilder’s an idiot'
Fury tells Steve Bunce on BT Sport that Wilder told him in that terse post-fight exchange that he didn’t want to offer any sportsmanship or respect.
“An idiot,” Fury says when asked how he felt about Wilder’s actions.
Fury praises his trainer SugarHill Steward
Fury finishes his interview by praising his trainer SugarHill Steward before breaking out in song. Singing ‘Walking in Memphis’ - with the title lyric changed to Walking in Vegas and following it up with chants of “Lancashire nah, nah, nah”.
More from Fury
Fury also used his post match interview to call out Wilder for a lack of respect saying:
“He’s got no love for me Deontay Wilder, because I’ve beat him three times. I’m a sportsman, I went over to him to show some love and respect and he didn’t want to give it back. That’s his problem, I’ll pray for him so God will soften his heart.
“I want to thank everyone in the building tonight who came out to show support for my sport, boxing. Thank you. It was a great fight, October 9th 2021 will go down as a great fight in history. I hope anyway.”
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