For the first time since Lennox Lewis retired back in the early 2000’s the heavyweight division has positive buzz, no disrespect to the Klitschko brothers who dominated the division for over a decade. Saturday night proved the heavyweight division is back if you like it or not. People like to see knockdowns and knockouts and what division can almost guarantee that to happen is the big boys.
In the last few years the buzz was building with the heavyweights because of Anthony Joshua, the return of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Bryant Jennings and Luis Ortiz just to name a few. It seems the heavyweight division has returned and last Saturday was staple they have arrived. Wilder and Fury fought for the WBC Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Both fighters were undefeated and the buildup was solid. I personally was attending a wedding in Atlanta and all the people that I knew who liked boxing kept hitting me asking if they could get their hands on a link of the fight.
Fast forward I find the fight and get to watch one of the most exciting 12 rounds I’ve watched in a while. Fury used his crafty style to keep distance and touch Wilder up at times, but Wilder scored two major knockdowns highlighted by the one in the 12th round where it looked like Fury was out cold and popped up like the Undertaker. The fight ended in a draw, I think Fury controlled the pace of the fight, but Wilder did the most damage hence the two knockdowns. I’d say Wilder won because I can’t give somebody a victory that got knockdown twice and didn’t put the other guy on the canvas. As an avid watcher/coverer of boxing I can see why people who like Fury think he won, but the draw in shady ways will make Wilder/Fury 2 even bigger.
The 12th round knockdown:
Highlights of the fight: (P.S. not my choice of music, but it has solid edits)
Now the question is when will we get the rematch? And is Joshua going to take on either of these heavyweights? I personally don’t know if he can beat either, but the buildup of the division is a positive for the sport.
