Tyson Fury bounced back from falling to the canvas twice in the fourth round and stopped Deontay Wilder on Saturday to retain the WBC title in the thrilling conclusion to a great trilogy of heavyweight bouts.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) defeated Wilder for the second consecutive time in the trilogy, but only after a disputed fight in which the boxers were knocked down five times in total.
Wilder went down in the third round and appeared to be on the brink of defeat, but came back improbably and in the closing minutes of the fourth round he dropped Fury twice.
Wilder (42-2-1) suffered greatly and appeared physically drained for much of the match, although the veteran champion showed his stamina and continued to deliver powerful blows despite his tired legs.
Fury dropped Wilder again with a right hand midway through the 10th, but Wilder stunned Fury in the closing seconds.
The Englishman ended the fight in the 11th, when he sent Wilder to the canvas face-first after a right hand from above. Fury climbed the ropes in a sold-out celebration before an enthusiastic crowd of 15,820 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout probably ended one of the most memorable rivalries in recent heavyweight boxing history. A three-fight series is unusual in today’s fragmented boxing, but Fury and Wilder brought out the best of themselves in a triplet spread over three calendar years.
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