Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III billed as "Once And For All" was a professional boxing trilogy fight between WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, and former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder. The bout took place at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on October 9, 2021. The fight, which Fury won via eleventh-round knockout, was widely regarded as the best fight of the year and one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time, winning the award for The Ring magazine Fight of the Year 2021.[1][2][3][4]

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III
DateOctober 9, 2021
VenueT-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Title(s) on the lineWBC and The Ring heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Tyson Fury Deontay Wilder
Nickname The Gypsy King The Bronze Bomber
Hometown Wythenshawe, Manchester, England Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Pre-fight record 30–0–1 (21 KO) 42–1–1 (41 KO)
Height 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Weight 277 lb (126 kg) 238 lb (108 kg)
Style Orthodox[nb 1] Orthodox
Recognition WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion Former WBC heavyweight champion
Result
Fury wins via 11th-round KO

Background
Tyson Fury (left) and Deontay Wilder (right)

Fury and Wilder first fought in December 2018, with the bout ending in a controversial draw.[5][6][7] The pair had a rematch in February 2020, with Fury emerging victorious via seventh-round technical knockout to capture the WBC and vacant Ring magazine heavyweight titles. Wilder initiated a contractual rematch clause in March,[8] with the bout initially being scheduled for July 18. However, due to Wilder still recovering from surgery and concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the bout was postponed to October. The date was again pushed back to December due to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions that would limit fan attendance. After ESPN was unwilling to televise the bout as the event would conflict with their NFL schedule, it was suggested the date be pushed back for a third time. Upon hearing the news, Fury announced that he was walking away from the fight, stating, "they asked me if I would agree to push it to December. I agreed to Dec. 19. Then they tried to change the date again into next year. I've been training. I'm ready. When they tried moving off Dec. 19 and pushing to next year, enough was enough. I've moved on." Wilder responded to the comments by releasing a video on social media, accusing Fury of cheating in their February 2020 fight.[9]

With Fury's team insisting the rematch clause had now expired, and Wilder's team insisting the opposite, the teams entered into a mediation process in an attempt to solve the issue, with a legally binding outcome being decided by an arbitration judge.[10] In the meantime, Fury entered negotiations for a unification bout with reigning WBA (Super), IBF and WBO champion, Anthony Joshua. Following months of negotiations between the promoters of Fury and Joshua, an official announcement was said to be imminent.[11] However, on May 17, 2021, it was announced that the arbitration judge had ruled in Wilder's favor, ordering Fury to face Wilder no later than September 15.[12]

Following the arbitration decision, Fury's co-promoter, Bob Arum, revealed a targeted date of July 24, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[13] The fight was postponed after Fury tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2021.[14] The new date was announced as October 9, 2021.[15] Both men weighed in at their respective career-heaviest weights, with the champion Fury weighing in at 277 lbs, and the challenger Wilder at 238 lbs.[16]

Fight recap

Wilder started the fight as the aggressor, jabbing Fury to the body and landing several clean right hands to his chest and stomach in the first round, which all three judges scored for Wilder. In the second, Fury began landing shots of his own and pushed Wilder backwards as the champion looked to establish himself in the fight. Towards the end of the third round, Fury caught Wilder with a right hook to the temple followed by a right uppercut in the clinch, which sent Wilder to the canvas. He made it to his feet and survived the round. As Fury sought to pile on the pressure against Wilder in the fourth round, Wilder landed a left jab followed by a straight right hand to Fury's left temple, stunning the champion and knocking him down. Fury made it to his feet but was floored once more after Wilder connected with a short right hook to behind Fury's ear.[17] Fury beat the count again, and the bell to end the round sounded soon after. At the beginning of the fifth, Wilder swung heavily at Fury, but the challenger was unable to land any telling blows. Fury then began to reassert himself, and took control of the fight in rounds six, seven, eight, and nine, outstriking Wilder and wobbling him with a number of heavy shots as the challenger began to appear fatigued. In round ten, Fury landed another heavy right hand that sent Wilder sprawling to the canvas for the second time in the fight. Wilder made it to his feet and saw the end of the round. Fury applied more forward pressure in the eleventh round, as he hurt Wilder repeatedly at range and in the clinch. Nearing a minute into the round, Fury landed a clean right hand to Wilder's temple, causing the challenger to collapse to the floor. Referee Russell Mora immediately called a stop to the bout, securing a knockout victory for the defending champion Fury.[18]

Aftermath
See also: Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte

After the fight, Fury went over to Wilder and attempted to shake his hand. Wilder rebuffed the attempt and refused to acknowledge Fury. In his post-fight interview, Fury stated "I'm a sportsman. I went over to him to show some love and respect and he didn't show it back. I will pray for him so that God will soften his heart." Fury then added that it "was a great fight tonight, worthy of the best of trilogies."[19] Praise for the fight was immediate and profuse, with fans and pundits describing it as one of the greatest heavyweight bouts in history. Promoter Bob Arum stated he had "never seen a heavyweight fight as magnificent as this" during his 57-year career in boxing.[20]

The WBC ruled that if the winner of the fight doesn't unify with Oleksandr Usyk next, the victor will be ordered to defend the title against Dillian Whyte, the long-standing WBC No. 1 contender.[21] Fury as the victor ultimately defended his WBC and Ring world titles against Whyte on April 23, 2022, winning the bout via sixth-round technical knockout.[22]

Fight card
Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight United Kingdom Tyson Fury (c) def. United States Deontay Wilder KO 11/12 1:10 [lower-alpha 1]
Heavyweight Cuba Frank Sánchez (c) def. Nigeria Efe Ajagba UD 10/10 [lower-alpha 2]
Heavyweight Finland Robert Helenius def. Poland Adam Kownacki TKO 6/12 2:38
Heavyweight United States Jared Anderson def. Russia Vladimir Tereshkin TKO 2/8 2:51 [lower-alpha 3]
Undercard
Super middleweight United States Edgar Berlanga def. Argentina Marcelo Esteban Coceres UD 10/10 [lower-alpha 4]
Light middleweight Mexico Vladimir Hernandez def. United States Julian Williams SD 10/10
Heavyweight Ukraine Viktor Vikhryst def. United States Mike Marshall KO 3/8 1:49
  1. For WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles
  2. For WBC Continental Americas and WBO-NABO heavyweight titles
  3. For vacant NABF Junior heavyweight title
  4. For vacant WBO–NABO super-middleweight title

Media coverage

As with the second fight, the trilogy fight's pay-per-view was a joint presentation of ESPN and Fox Sports, and featured personalities from both networks. This time, Fox handled the majority of production duties for the fight; the Fox Sports PPV for Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugás—held at T-Mobile Arena in August—was described by a Fox Sports executive as having been a "dress rehearsal" for Fury-Wilder III.[23]

Country/Region Free-to-air Cable/Satellite Pay-per-view Stream
 United States (host) — ESPN PPV

Fox Sports

 ESPN+

Fox Sports

 United Kingdom — BT Sport Box Office
 Ireland
 Australia — Main Event
Kayo Sports[24]
 Austria — DAZN[25]
 Germany
  Switzerland
Baltic States — TV3 Sport — Go3
 Belgium — VOO Sport — VOO Sport
 France — Canal+[26] — MyCanal
 Greece — Cosmote Sport[27] —
 Indonesia Indosiar Fight Sports[28]

Champions TV

 — Vidio[29]
 Italy — Sky Primafila[30]
 Japan — Wowow[31] — Wowow[31]
Latin America — ESPN[32] — ESPN[32]
 Mexico Azteca 7 — TV Azteca Deportes[24]
 New Zealand — Sky Arena[33]
Nordic countries — Viaplay
 Panama RPC-TV — Medcom Go
 Poland — TVP Sport[38] — —
 Russia REN TV[39] — REN TV[39]
 Spain — Fight Sports[32] — Fight Sports[32]
 Thailand PPTV — PPTV
 Turkey — S Sport Plus

Viewership

At a cost of $79.99, the bout generated around 600,000 pay-per-view buys in the United States and around 300,000 buys overseas.[40]

Notes
  1. Listed by BoxRec as orthodox, but regularly switch hits as a southpaw.

References
  1. "Boxing's best of 2021: Canelo Alvarez, Fury-Wilder 3 and a wild year of upsets". December 30, 2021.
  2. "2021 Boxing Fight of the Year: Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder deliver a thriller". December 28, 2021.
  3. "Tyson Fury's epic battle with Deontay Wilder delivered unforgettable drama but was it the best fight of the year?".
  4. "Tyson Fury KO 11 Deontay Wilder is the Ring Fight of the Year for 2021". December 29, 2021.
  5. Benson, Michael (December 2, 2018). "Deontay Wilder retains heavyweight world title by claiming draw with Tyson Fury". talkSPORT. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  6. Coppinger, Mike (December 1, 2018). "Tyson Fury survives two knockdowns at hands of Deontay Wilder, settles for controversial draw". The Ring. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. Davies, Gareth A. (December 2, 2018). "Wilder vs Fury scoring row: Who are the judges and how did they come to their controversial split-decision draw?". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  8. Rathborn, Jack (March 1, 2020). "Deontay Wilder officially triggers rematch clause for third fight with Tyson Fury". The Independent. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  9. Brookhouse, Brent (October 12, 2020). "Tyson Fury says he has 'moved on' from trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder after multiple delays". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  10. Parkinson, Nick (November 17, 2020). "Warren: Ruling may force Fury to fight Wilder". ESPN. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  11. Lewis, Ron (May 16, 2021). "Tyson Fury: I Cannot Wait To Smash Anthony Joshua on August 14". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  12. Kriegel, Mark (May 17, 2021). "Arbitrator: Fury must fight Wilder by Sept. 15". ESPN. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  13. Kriegel, Mark (May 17, 2021). "Tyson Fury must fight Deontay Wilder by Sept. 15, arbitrator says". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  14. "Fury v Wilder III: Fight off following Covid-19 case in Briton's camp". BBC Sport. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  15. "Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 rescheduled for October date | DAZN News US". DAZN. July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  16. Amako, Uche (October 8, 2021). "Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder trade words as both boxers weigh-in at career heaviest". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  17. "Tyson Fury beats Deontay Wilder in all-time classic to retain WBC heavyweight title". Guardian. October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  18. "Fury beats Wilder in thrilling trilogy bout". BBC Sport. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  19. Polden, Jake (October 10, 2021). "Tyson Fury accuses Wilder of not wanting to show respect after knockout win". mirror. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  20. "'Mind-blowing': Fury-Wilder 'best fight ever' as legendary promoter makes 'magnificent' 57-year claim". Fox Sports. October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  21. Coppinger, Mike (October 10, 2021). "Anthony Joshua exercises right to rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for heavyweight championship". ESPN.
  22. "Tyson Fury stops Dillian Whyte to retain his WBC world heavyweight title". the Guardian. April 23, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  23. Hernandez, Kristian (October 9, 2021). "Live From Fury-Wilder III: Fox Sports Works With ESPN to Chronicle Last Installment of Heated Heavyweight Rivalry". Sports Video Group. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  24. "Fury vs Wilder 3 (Oct 9, 2021): How to Watch, Start Time, Predictions". champinon.info. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  25. "Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3: Date, fight time, TV channel and live stream | DAZN News Germany". DAZN. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  26. "WILDER / FURY III en exclusivité sur CANAL+ le 24 juillet". myCANAL (in French). Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  27. "Πυγμαχία: Ντιόντεϊ Γουάιλντερ – Τάισον Φιούρι" (in Greek). Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  28. "Where To Watch: Tyson Fury Vs. Deontay Wilder III". FIGHT SPORTS. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  29. "Live Streaming World Boxing Association". Vidio (in Indonesian). Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  30. "Fury vs Wilder III, a Las Vegas si chiude la trilogia". 123Scommesse.it (in Italian). September 27, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  31. "【第3戦】フューリーvsワイルダーのテレビ放送中継予定！ライブ配信は？ │ らいスポガイド". lvspo-guide.com (in Japanese). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  32. "Cuándo es el Fury vs Wilder 3: fecha, horario y dónde es el combate". AS.com (in Spanish). October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  33. Sulleyman, Aatif; Marshall, Adam (October 5, 2021). "How to watch Fury vs Wilder 3: time, date, live stream channels and cost". TechRadar. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  34. "Fury vs Wilder III". viaplay.dk (in Danish). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  35. "Fury vs Wilder III". viaplay.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  36. "Fury vs Wilder III". viaplay.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  37. "Fury vs Wilder III". viaplay.se (in Swedish). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  38. "Boks, gala w Las Vegas. Transmisja walk Fury – Wilder i Kownacki – Helenius na żywo online w TVP" (in Polish). October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  39. admin. "REN TV will show the third fight of Fury – Wilder live – Boxing / MMA / UFC". Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  40. Jesse Holland (October 14, 2021). "Fury vs Wilder 3 PPV buys: Domestic haul falls well below expectations". mmamania.com.
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