Tyson Fury Reacts To Controversial Draw With Deontay Wilder

Last night’s (Sat., December 1, 2018) classic heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury has the fight game buzzing. It’s time Fury reacts to the amazing-yet-controversial bout.

The fight was a back-and-forth battle that played to both men’s strengths (watch full highlights here) and featured many moments of intrigue. It was declared a controversial split-decision draw on the judges’ scorecards, a result that had most onlookers aghast at how Fury had lost.

“The Gypsy King” spent most of the fight stifling Wilder’s power punches with his unorthodox movement and technical precision. Wilder had his huge moments when he dropped Fury twice. He nearly knocked him out with a vicious two-punch combination in the twelfth round. Fury looked almost out cold but somehow got back to his feet to even fight back before the fight concluded. The belief was that Fury had it in the bag despite the two knockdowns, but that wasn’t the case.

In his post-fight interview with SHOWTIME Boxing (via SportingNews.com), Fury reacted to the draw. He said fighting on American soil played a part in the narrow draw, but it’s something he’s used to:

“Listen, we are on away soil and I got knocked down twice, but I still believe I won the fight, and I believe every man in here believes I won too. But I’m showing total professionalism here. I’m a true champion, a true warrior. I went to Germany to fight [Wladimir] Klitschko and I’ve come to America to fight Wilder. That’s what I do.”

A Special Set Of Skills

Fury has fought back from long odds due to his lengthy battle with substance abuse and mental health issues in 2016 and 2017. He’s clearly back in shape, and his movement against Wilder proved that. He touted his unique skillset, yet wouldn’t disparage his heated rival Wilder:

“I’m what you call a professional athlete who loves to box. I’m 6-9 and 260 pounds — I don’t know anyone on the planet who can move like that. That man is a fearsome puncher, but I avoided his shots tonight. I’m not going to take anything from Wilder, he’s a great champion and a great man. I thank him for the opportunity.”

His respect for Wilder aside, however, Fury put it succinctly when he stated his belief he should still be champion:

“But the world knows the truth. I thought I won the fight. I should be taking the belt home.”

Wilder Second Best?

As for his unreal rise from a massive two-punch combo from Wilder that knocked him down in the last round, Fury said he had divine forces watching over him and just wouldn’t be knocked out. He thinks Wilder is the second-best heavyweight in the world:

“I am a fighting man. Jesus has got his power over me — I was never going to be knocked out tonight. I got put down by some good shots but showed good heart to get back up. I came here and fought my heart out — he [Wilder] is the second best heavyweight behind me.”

Overall, Fury seemed positive even though he thought he won. He offered a final perspective on his current state: