[imagesource: Al Bello/Getty Images]

In Las Vegas, late on Saturday night (or Sunday morning here in South Africa), Tyson Fury completed a remarkable return to top-level boxing.

Having defeated Wladimir Klitschko to claim all four world title belts in 2015, Fury then spiralled out of control as his battles with depression and drug addiction took hold.

You can read more about that comeback here, but let’s get stuck into some highlights from Fury’s WBC heavyweight showdown with Deontay Wilder.

From 55 seconds in, when Fury started licking Wilder’s blood, you knew he was feeling confident:

What you don’t see from the highlights above is the moment Wilder’s corner threw in the towel, meaning they wanted the referee to stop the fight:

Fury’s performance will go down in boxing history, and so will Wilder’s excuse for losing, which is quite possibly the dumbest excuse I have ever heard from a professional sportsman.

Here’s the Guardian:

Wilder has said the elaborate outfit he wore on his ring walk weighed 40 pounds and was the key reason for his defeat to Tyson Fury…

Wilder said the outfit, worn to represent Black History Month, weighed him down so much that he didn’t have the legs to withstand Fury’s early assault in their Las Vegas heavyweight title fight on Saturday.

Étienne Laurent/EPA

“He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder told Yahoo Sports. “I didn’t have no legs from the beginning of the fight. In the third round, my legs were just shot all the way through. But I’m a warrior and people know that I’m a warrior.”

“A lot of people were telling me: ‘it looked like something was wrong with you.’ Something was, but when you’re in the ring you have to bluff a lot of things. I tried my best to do so. I knew I didn’t have the legs because of my uniform,” Wilder said.

I mean, come on.

It’s definitely a radical outfit, and props for wanting to represent Black History Month, but I find it scarcely believable that a man who has been training for a professional boxing match of the highest calibre is now blaming his walk to the ring.

My first thought is why didn’t he try it on before the bout, although Wilder says he did:

The 34-year-old added that he tried the costume on for the first time on the night before the much-anticipated rematch. “It weighed 40 pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month … and I guess I put that before anything.”

He took it on the chin all night, but he can’t take his loss on the chin.

There will almost certainly be a rematch, with Wilder having 30 days from the fight’s completion to exercise that option. You can bet that the TV rights and pay-per-view sales will net both men a massive payday, although it will be a 60%-40% split in Fury’s favour.

I guess we should also mention that Wilder isn’t happy with his corner’s decision to throw in the towel:

…Wilder fiercely criticised his assistant trainer, Mark Breland, for throwing in the towel.

“We had many discussions for years about this situation and for him to still do it after Jay [Deas, Wilder’s main trainer] told him not to, it really hurt me,” Wilder told AP.

“Then I heard he was influenced by another fighter in the audience and it makes a lot of conspiracy theories in your head. It didn’t make sense.”

Jay Deas, Wilder’s head trainer and co-manager, confirmed that he had instructed Breland not to throw in the towel.

Footage from in between the sixth and seventh-round shows that he was in very bad shape:

Anyone (including Jay Deas) who thinks the towel was thrown in too early, just watch this.

This is Wilder inbetween rounds 6 and 7.

Good job Mark Breland for the towel.#WilderFury2 pic.twitter.com/eYZaOEMiae

— CR Boxing (@CRBoxing) February 23, 2020

He was soundly beaten, and refusing to acknowledge that isn’t doing his public image any favours.

The rematch should be a cracker, as long as Wilder can get his outfit right…

[source:guardian]