Tyson Fury vowed to knock out Deontay Wilder in the second round of their rematch Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas and show that he's the best heavyweight in the world.
Fury was a bit off in his prediction, but he still got the job done nonetheless, dropping Wilder two times and stopping him with a barrage of shots at the 1:39 of the seventh round to win by TKO and capture the WBC heavyweight championship, the Ring belt and remain the lineal champion.
"He is a warrior," Fury said in his post-fight interview. "He will be back. He will be a champion again. But I will say, the king has returned to the top of the throne."
The opening bell rang, and Fury set the tone by going right at Wilder. He didn't give Wilder much room to breathe, backing him up with the jab and the right hand.
The fight shifted and remained on Fury's side when he used a left hook and then a right hand to send Wilder to the canvas. Even though Wilder got back up, he never looked the same the remainder of the contest — the former champion had shaky legs and a busted eardrum. From there, Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) started to put all 273 pounds onto Wilder to only fatigue him more.
In the beginning of the fifth round, Fury bent in and dug a hard left hand to the body to send Wilder down for the second time. It was only a matter of time before Fury closed the show, as Wilder had no answer for the onslaught. Fury saw an opening to begin the seventh when he hit Wilder with a left hand to send him into the corner. All Wilder could do was turtle up in the corner, as Fury uncorked three consecutive left hands and then a barrage of shots until Wilder's corner saw enough and threw in the towel.
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), who suffered the first defeat of his career, wished his corner would have allowed him to continue.
“I just wish that my corner would’ve let me go out on my shield," Wilder said in his post-fight interview. "I’m a warrior. That’s what I do.”
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2 results
(All times Eastern)
Tyson Fury def. Deontay Wilder by TKO in the seventh round.
Round 7: Fury begins the round with a left hand to send Wilder back to the corner. Wilder is in trouble. Fury opens up a barrage of shots — and it's over! The referee waves off the fight, giving Fury the victory.
Round 6: Another dominant round by Fury. Continues to smother Wilder with left and right hands. Wilder needs something and in a hurry. His corner is doing him no favors, as all they are saying is throw the right hand. Bad job by the corner. (10-9, 58-53 Fury)
Round 5: Fury sent Wilder to the canvas one more with a hard body. Wilder got up again, and Fury just continued to smother him and blast him with right hands. With about 40 seconds left, Fury sent Wilder stumbling to the ropes. With his back to the ropes, Fury hit another right hand and got hooked with Wilder's arm — and for some unknown reason Fury got deducted a point by referee Kenny Bayless. A horrible decision by Bayless. He needs to step out of the way, do his job. (9-8 Fury, 48-44 Fury)
Round 4: Smart idea by Fury to try and finish Wilder off to begin the stanza. It took Wilder about two minutes to finally start getting his bearings. Fury keeps putting pressure on Wilder by clinching and leaning into him and sapping all of Wilder's energy slowly. How does Wilder adapt? (10-9 Fury, 39-36 Fury)
Round 3: Well the fight has changed. Wilder was against the ropes, and Fury connected with a left hook and blasted him with an overhand right to send Wilder down to the canvas. Wilder looked to be in trouble as Fury tried to close. Wilder went down again but it was a ruled a slip. As the bell rang, Wilder initially stumbled before walking back. Wilder is in severe trouble. (10-8 Fury, 29-27 Fury)
Round 2: Close round. Wilder started to find a home for the right hand but couldn't get it flush. Liked the fact he starting to throw combinations. Fury came on at the end of the round with a good combination. (10-9 Wilder, 19-19)
Round 1: Fury lived up to his word by going right at Wilder when the bell rang. Wilder showed a good jab that can benefit him as the fight progresses. But Fury was the aggressor, threw the crisper shots, including a stiff jab with 10 seconds remaining. (10-9 Fury)
12:08 a.m.: Another spectacular entrance. This time by Deontay Wilder!
12:02 a.m.: What an incredible entrance by Tyson Fury!
11:46 p.m.: It is main event time as Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) and Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) lock horns one more time for the WBC and lineal heavyweight championships. All the talking has been done and it's time to fight. Who gets it done? Wilder? Or Fury?
Wilder vs. Fury 2: Other main card results
Charles Martin knocks out Gerald Washington
11:38 p.m.: Martin def. Washington by knockout at 1:57 of the sixth round.
Up to the time of the stoppage, the fight had been lackluster, without much action from either guy. That all changed when Washington had his back to the ropes, threw a lazy left hand and Martin saw an opening and blasted the former title challenger with a sharp overhand left to send Washington to the canvas. He rose to his feet but struggled to maintain any balance, and referee Tony Weeks rightfully knew Washington could no longer continue.
A solid win for Martin, as he's now won three consecutive fights and should put himself in a meaningful bout his next time out.
11:27 p.m.: Is this over yet? Martin and Washington not doing too much through five.
11:00 p.m.: The co-main event between heavyweights Charles Martin and Gerald Washington is up next. Martin (27-2-1, 24 KOs), a former IBF heavyweight champion, has won four of five. Washington (20-3-1, 13 KOs), who got knocked out by Wilder in February 2017, is in desperate need of some consistency, having gone 2-3 in his last five fights. If Martin is going to make a run, getting past Washington is imperative.
Emanuel Navarrete stops Jeo Tupas Santisima to retain WBO title
10:58 p.m.: Navarrete def. Santisima by TKO at 2:20 of the 11th round to retain the WBO junior featherweight championship.
It all came down to Navarrete's constant pressure throughout. Any time he found the slightest of openings, he took advantage and would throw a litany of shots at any angle. The punches started to take their toll on Santisima in the eighth round. They finally proved to be too much for him in the 11th when Navarrate connected on a right hand followed by a series of combinations. Santisima wasn't defending himself and the referee had seen enough and Navarrete successfully defended his belt for the fifth time.
10:46 p.m.: The MGM Grand Garden Arena is filling up. You can start to feel a buzz in the air as we inch closer to Wilder-Fury 2.
10:40 p.m.: Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have a different way about going about things. Moments after the video, Fury's team pulled plug on the video camera.
10:20 p.m.: Great action through four as both guys are staying in the pocket and slinging the leather. Navarrete had the advantage until near the end of the fourth when Santisima staggered Navarrete with a left hook and followed by a solid right hand.
10:01 p.m.: Up next at Wilder vs. Fury 2 is Emanuel Navarrete defending the WBO jr. featherweight title against Jeo Tupas Santisima. Navarrete (30-1, 26 KOs) steps into the ring for the first time in 2020 after putting his title on the line four times in 2019. Santisima (19-2, 16 KOs) comes into the biggest contest of his career, riding a 17-fight winning streak. But the native of the Philippines competes in the United States for the first time.On paper, this is a showcase for Navarrete. Let's see if he rises to occasion on the ultimate stage in boxing.
Sebastian Fundora takes care of Daniel Lewis to kick off main card
9:51 p.m.: Fundora def. Lewis by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93). Instead of using his range and controlling the fight on the outside, Fundora made it more difficult by going to the inside and trading with Lewis. It was a dangerous plan of attack, but he got it done and remained undefeated to run his record to 14-0-1.
9:37 p.m.: "The Bronze Bomber" is officially in the house.
9:29 p.m.: The celebrities are starting to pour in as WWE legend Triple H and his wife and WWE executive Stephanie McMahon arrive to take in the megafight. Fury competed for WWE in November against Braun Strowman.
9:24 p.m.: Tyson Fury is in the house.
9:08 p.m.: The Wilder vs. Fury 2 main card begins with Sebastian Fundora taking on Daniel Lewis in Jr. Middleweight action.
9:00 p.m.: Welcome to DAZN News' live coverage of the WBC and lineal heavyweight championship rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Stay locked in, grab the refreshments, sit back and enjoy what should be a historic evening of action.
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard results
- Javier Molina def. Amir Imam by unanimois decision (79-73, 78-74, 78-74); Welterweight
- Petros Ananyan def. Subriel Matias by unanimous decision (96-93, 95-94, 95-94); Welterweight
- Gabriel Flores def. Matt Conway by unanimous decision (80-71, 80-71, 79-72; Lightweight
- Vito Mielnicki Jr. def. Corey Champion by unanimous decision (40-34, 40-35, 40-35); Welterweight
- Isaac Lowe def. Alberto Guevara by unanimous decision (96-87, 96-87, 95-88); Featherweight