But the 35-year-old from Alabama refused to surrender and, even when he was exhausted and depleted, he kept looking to land one last thunderous right hand. Wilder was sent to hospital, as a precaution, for he had been knocked down three times and, more worryingly, had absorbed one hard punch after another to the head. This was a riveting contest, elevated by courage and resolve, but it was also a damaging fight which will have torn hidden chunks from both men. A sad look of fresh disappointment stole across his face and he closed his left eye as if he felt an unsettling pressure in his head.Īll these private little moments were moving and sombre reminders of how much boxing takes from even its greatest champions. Each nod seemed a search for consolation that, at least, the brutal fight was over. His fiancée, Telli Swift, stood helplessly at ringside, blinking back her own tears and nodding again and again. At least the beaten boxer looked alert as he listened. The doctor pressed a pad against Wilder’s lip and talked softly to him. On his stool, Wilder looked up at the masked doctor while more blood seeped from his left ear. Blood coated Wilder’s lower lip, smearing it crimson, while a small swelling rose beneath his right eye. It was a very different scene in the opposite corner.
Tim Allcock, Fury’s close friend who runs their camp with Shane, completed the picture in the winning corner. The fact that he had come close to stopping Fury in the fourth round, when the champion went down heavily twice, drove on Wilder until all his valiant resistance was eventually beaten out of him. The American had shown immense bravery and, at least until the final round, he kept trying to unleash one last shattering punch to rescue himself from defeat. It was a gentle and comforting gesture which confirmed how clearly he understood that his big brother had come through some dark and testing moments before Fury again dominated Wilder. His brother Shane, a big shaggy bear of a man, covered the champion’s bald head with his hand. Tyson Fury beats Deontay Wilder in all-time classic to retain WBC heavyweight titleĪs he prayed, Fury also cried. He laced his fingers together in a familiar old ritual for the victorious Gypsy King. Fury’s gloves were off but his hands were still covered in their sweat-sodden wraps.
The world champion had just knocked out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of a tumultuous contest and his arms pressed down on the ropes as he bowed his 6ft 9in frame in relief and gratitude. After one of the great fights in heavyweight history was all over, Tyson Fury lent over the ropes and said a silent prayer.