Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II

Did You Know?

• Fury weighed in at 273 lb, the third heaviest of his career and 17 lb heavier than for the first Wilder bout.
• The pay-per-view cost $79.99 and generated between 800,000 and 850,000 buys via traditional television providers, up from about 325,000 for the first fight.
• VFT Solutions estimated between 10 and 20 million views of the fight via illegal streams on major social media platforms.

Background

The first fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury ended in a split draw, a result many disputed. Among 27 notable boxing journalists, 15 thought Fury won, 3 scored it for Wilder, and 9 called it a draw. A rematch was demanded, but the WBC stated in February 2019 that it would not happen immediately. Fury had signed with ESPN and Top Rank, making the rematch a co-promotion—a rare setup seen only twice before, for Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002 and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

While waiting, Wilder knocked out Dominic Breazeale in the first round on May 18, 2019, and later stopped Luis Ortiz in the seventh round on November 23, 2019. Fury stopped Tom Schwarz in the second round on June 15, 2019, and won a unanimous decision against Otto Wallin on September 14, 2019. Both fighters called each other out after their wins. The rematch was officially set on December 27, 2019, for February 22, 2020, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Fight details

According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Fury and Wilder had base purses of $5 million, though both had more than $25 million in guaranteed earnings plus percentages of pay-per-view profits. The United States pay-per-view was a joint presentation of ESPN and Fox Sports, produced largely by ESPN staff and called by Lennox Lewis and Andre Ward alongside ESPN's Joe Tessitore at ringside. Analysts included Timothy Bradley, Max Kellerman, Brian Kenny, and Shawn Porter. The PPV was sold via television providers and digitally through ESPN+ and Fox Sports' digital platforms. During fight week, ESPN and Fox Sports 1 aired studio programs from around the MGM Grand complex, and both networks promoted the event during the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship and Super Bowl LIV. Fox produced a four-part documentary series, Inside Wilder-Fury II, to hype the fight.

Recap

Fury took the center of the ring from the start and established his jab while evading Wilder's swings. In the third round, Fury floored Wilder with a strong right hand to the temple; Wilder beat the count but was visibly disoriented, with blood streaming from his left ear. Wilder fell to the canvas twice more, ruled slips by referee Kenny Bayless, before Fury knocked him down again in the fifth round with a combination punctuated by a left hook to the body.

Wilder made it to his feet but could not mount a counterattack and was bleeding from the mouth as well. The fight was stopped midway through the seventh round after a flurry of hard shots from Fury caused Wilder's corner to throw in the towel. At stoppage, Fury led on all three judges' scorecards 59–52, 58–53, and 59–52, with a point deducted from Fury in the fifth for holding. CompuBox showed Fury landing 82 of 267 total punches (31%) and Wilder landing 34 of 141 (24%).

Aftermath

Fury received widespread praise for his performance, with many boxing analysts believing it established one of the best boxing comeback stories ever seen and placed Fury as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history. After the fight, Wilder complained that his cornerman Mark Breland had thrown in the towel, stating he had told his trainers not to do so because his pride was everything and he was never out of a fight with his power. Wilder initially considered firing Breland but decided to keep him on the team, though it was confirmed in October 2020 that Wilder eventually split with Breland.

Wilder attributed his defeat to factors including his water being spiked, his ring-walk costume being too heavy, and Fury scratching flesh from his ears. These attempts at justification were widely criticized and labeled as excuses by Tyson Fury, Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua, and Dillian Whyte. Despite the criticism and lack of credible evidence, Wilder did not back down; on October 31, 2020, he issued statements accusing Fury of cheating and asking for a trilogy bout, also claiming he was offered more money to fight Joshua. Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the veracity of that statement.