Return of the King: Wilder vs Fury 2

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Tyson “The Gyspy King” Fury was born in Manchester, England, 3 months premature weighing just a single pound. His father John Fury was fighter. So was his father. The family trade passed down another generation. Tyson fought and survived and grew exponentially. Eventually standing 6’9″ and weighing 270lbs.

As a kid he was often found tagging along with dad to the gym everyday, to play and spar with his brothers and cousins. He was essentially raised in the ring. Grew and grew and grew up with a single goal. To make Wladimir Klitschko, the champion who’d reigned since Tyson Fury was a boy, look like a big stiff idiot. Sure enough by age 26 Tyson had fought his way to into his title shot.

Finding himself face to face with the monster he’d been hunting his entire life, Tyson Fury proceeded to take the piss out of the stoic Ukrainian. First at the press where he dressed up as Batman to fight a man dressed as the joker for some reason. https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-05-2016/KlFrct.mp4 before taking to the ring and leaving Klitschko unable to pull the trigger for 12 rounds https://i.imgur.com/cw4tnJr.mp4

Having accomplished the only goal he ever had, Tyson asked himself a question for which he had no answer. What now? Tyson started to lose his mind. Drink, Drugs and unfocused mental illness lead to him falling out of the fight game. On his worse night he was 400lbs and pointed a Ferrari at a bridge with the pedal to the floor. In that moment he thought of his children as he stomped on the brakes. He sought the help he needed.

Tyson was not a man given to limited ambition. Don’t let the Incan Lord Zed cosplay fool you. Underneath all that sparkly goth Daft Punk costume is a fighter far scarier than his goofy outfit.

While Tyson Fury lost his mind, Deontay Wilder found his calling. He was a late comer to boxing. Starting as an adult. After his daughter was born with life threatening Spina Bifida, Wilder worked 3 jobs just to make ends meet. But with mounting medical debts Wilder needed money now. So he climbed into the ring where as it turns out, Deontay “the Bronze Bomber” Wilder was given the wrong nickname. Slim Reaper was already taken. https://i.imgur.com/25htpEF.mp4

He would spent the next decade knocking out everyone who stood in the ring with him, racking up 41 knock outs in 43 fights. Not the type of knockouts where a ref has to step in either. I’m talking full on Zapruder film “back and to the left” assassins bullet of a right hand. https://media3.giphy.com/media/28j848gdQMnPVp1vpy/giphy.gif?cid=790b761148c434cb134228240b1a5bf31f6072a45527c497&rid=giphy.gif

He rode his natural power to the WBC championship and continued to defend it as he and Anthony Joshua eyed each other for heavyweight dominance. Tyson Fury refocused himself on boxing. He started to train and lose the weight. Eventually getting back into fighting form. Because as Deontay Wilder scythed through fighter after fighter, Tyson had found himself a new goal. One that pulled him out of a suicidal depression.

A goal he fell just short of. It was the biggest fight of the year in 2018, between two of the biggest fighters in Boxing. Tyson had showed, beautiful evasive head movement and excellent counter punching for 10 rounds. Clowned and played with Wilder, boxed beautifully and to the eyes of the vast majority of fans, won the fight.

Problem was title fights are 12 rounds. The two rounds he lost, he got put on his ass, then got knocked clean out. The 6’7″ 215 lb Deontay Wilder sent him to the Shadowrealm with just a minute left in the fight. https://i.imgur.com/RemYRNl.mp4
But on some Undertaker shit, the giant dead man sat straight up and survived an onslaught to see the final bell. https://i.imgur.com/TloFB4W.mp4

As is often the case the judges failed to do the fans and event justice. So, talk of an immediate rematch started but was side tracked mostly by the wanderlust of the Gypsy King. After getting robbed at the fork in the road their careers go their separate ways. With the firm understanding that they had unfinished business.

So here at the MGM Arena last Saturday the pair picked up right where they left off. Deontay winging that murder in progress of a right hand, Tyson however has decided to come the rematch with more of a pressure fighters approach. He comes forward looking to catch Deontay circling into a right hand as he tries to circle away from the ropes.

When Deontay gets his space Tyson feints his jab, Deontay tries to counter jab, Tyson sees it, ducks it and counters with a jab of his own down to Deontay’s body. Textbook stuff from Fury. Deontay notes Tyson’s more aggressive outlook and tries to walk him onto his lethal right hand using some deceptive foot work. When they settle again, Deontay takes a half step back before launching himself into that red right hand he brought from Tuscaloosa. But Tyson doesn’t fall for it as he back out of range of the right.

Deontay pushes forward behind a body jab of his own, hoping to drag Tyson’s hands lower after a few. He pushes forward again falling just inches off the mark as Tyson rebounds off the ropes. Stiff arming Wilder as he went to keep his angle away from the right hand. Tyson takes the initave again, putting on the pressure and catching Deontay with a long right hand of his own.

By round 3 Tyson had figured out his proper distancing. More and more he seemed able to close the gap using a double jab, keeping after his retreating opponent using his long punch. The moment Deontay stands his ground, He gets nailed with that long straight right. In the first fight Tyson decided that was enough and immediately looked to clinch. But 2020 Tyson Fury decides to go hunting for another opening.

Tyson shows his skill on the inside using the lead hand to wrap up the back of Wilder’s head after the right. He uses his 40 extra pound to snap Wilder’s head down and hold it there so he can arc in a short right uppercut for up close. Tyson gets a talking to for his rough housing as the ref breaks them. Back out into space Tyson refuses to stay on the back foot a second longer than he needs to.

He throws what looks like a sort of double slap. The right hand is there to do the damage, but the long wide left hand is doing much more than adding insult to injury. By using such a long wide slap as he throws the right hand he prevents Deontay from rolling it by going with the path of the punch to take the sting off it. Like Marco Antonio Barrera loved to do. https://i.imgur.com/fuc8eP6.mp4

What took Wilder 9 rounds to land in the first fight took Fury on 3 the second time around. The knock down punch was was built a bridge before it. Tyson’s punching up close is heavily grappling dependent. He throws lots of sticky punches designed to land yes, but also to grab a collar tie and pull Wilder’s head down, because it’s impossible to punch with power when there’s 270lbs draped on the back of your neck.

The Tyson finds the real key to picking apart Wilder’s defense. The simple stiff arm off the jab does so much to open up a taller man’s offense. The stiff arm not only allows Tyson to control Wilder’s posture and keep Wilder stuck at an angle he can’t punch from, but it also obscures Wilder’s vision. Meaning it’s hard to see the right hand with the left in your face. I don’t think I need to tell you about punches you don’t see. I probably can’t tell you about the ones I didn’t.

As Wilder gets up Tyson swarms again using all his unique ogreish grace to put it on Wilder. On unsteady legs Wilder tries to wrap Tyson up and falls again, though this was ruled a slip. Let’s take a closer look at the knockdown below.

Tyson’s set up for this punch, is one we’ve already seen. that long slightly arced left hand immobilized Deontay’s head. Wilder knew an over hand right was coming and he tried to duck it, but Tyson’s left hand kept him lined up perfectly. The punch however scarcely seems like it lands solid. The reality is Tyson couldn’t land a true over hand right due to Deontay’s high lead shoulder. There isn’t enough space to comfortably dig in with the top set of knuckles. So Tyson used the lower profile of his “Door knocking” knuckles to land his power. Welsh champion Joe Calzaghe used a similar technique to cope with his glass hands. https://i.imgur.com/ciD2phJ.mp4

Though the door knockers can’t really transmit the power through a target as well as a proper punch due to their flex. They do work well to get through a defense, since they can be thrown at awkward angles and feed into each other. It’s hardly textbook punching technique, and there is a substantial loss of power. But when you weigh 270lbs power is somewhat inherent. Just land it. It might not look like much, but the ringside sound on the punch was like dropping a boulder into a bucket of syrup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLPt_lsqJF0

Tyson opened up going to the body to take advantage of the knockdown. This makes sense for lots of reasons. First off Deontay needs to protect his head while on wobbly legs. His hands are going to be high and his feet are going to be moving as he tries to get away from Fury. Fury cuts off the ring by makes the punches come from Wilder’s escape route. The heavy shots to the body not on;y hurt infinitely worse than head shots, they stay with a fighter and weigh him down all night. All week really.

Tyson Fury has figured out that by keeping steady pressure on Wilder he’s denying him the time and space he needs to dig and properly throw his right hand. Deontay likes to step deeply into his right, this helps transfer his and get as much torque into that punch as he can. Deontay throws his right hand like a pitcher throwing from the stretch. https://media3.giphy.com/media/UWzkDCnht36ngBCvxj/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611b7f14bc59d45a810eadedff4d5930148a7f8060c&rid=giphy.gif

Also note how frequently Tyson tries to tie up when he gets close. Not only does this prevent Wilder from digging in and throwing back properly. Though both these men are heavyweights Tyson carried a 40lb weight advantage on fight night. Worst of all he knows exactly how to make Wilder feel every ounce of the size gap using the clinch.

Tyson keeps the pressure on Wilder using his long 1-2 to force him to the ropes again. Cracking him by over Deontay’s lead shoulder with the door knockers again. Wilder gets rocked on the ropes and on shakey legs looks to land a looping overhand from the clinch. With no base underneath this punch he can’t get his full power into it.

Tyson grabs ahold of Wilder and with the sensitivity of a wrestler Tyson starts lead Deontay in an abusive unwilling tango that opens up space for Tyson’s short uppercut up close. Deontay is getting mauled in the clinch. He’s giving up 40 lbs to Fury and Fury knows exactly how to impose that size. Forcing the smaller man to carry him or get thrown around.

Tyson scores a second knockdown though it was more of a trip or slip than a serious power punch, and it is some seriously savvy boxing by Tyson Fury. Watch their feet as Tyson lands the left hook to the body. Tyson know Wilder has been circling to his right all night. So before Wilder can pivot out Tyson gets his foot behind Wilders. He used the left hook as a lever to push Wilder over the fulcrum of his ankle. All Tyson did was a more subtle version of this. https://artofgrappling.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/lombard-1.gif?w=396&h=215

Wilder stands and Tyson stalks in leading with the big right hand then using it to snap Deontany head down into a draining clinch that denies any counter. When they get free Wilder attempts the same technique. Problem is this technique works best for a taller fighter which for the 2nd time in his career the 6’7″ Deontay isn’t. The awkward leverage and shaky legs cause him to lose his balance.

The moment he reels back Tyson is on him using some excellent grappling and massive strength to open up a place for his uppercut. Wilder tries to counter but you see Fury yank Wilder off balance, taking all the power off the punch.

It starts getting bad as round 5 comes to an end. Fury is chasing the knockout, but can’t seem to do anything more than maul. Wilder is getting the brakes beaten off him, but Tyson can’t quite find the finisher. That is when things start to get worrying in fights. It’s not the clean one punch KO’s that concern me. It’s this.

It’s a man with no answers, no inkling of an angle to win beyond hope and bravery. His blood dots the camera lens as he’s stuck and battered by a bigger man. He getting hit hard, but not hard enough to knock him out. Tyson has clipped the wire on Deontay’s bomb of a right hand. His pressure is smothering the explosion.

Deontay WIlder’s trainer is a former welterweight champion named Mark Breland. With a record of 35-3-1 and a gold medal in the 84′ Olympics to his name, Breland’s credentials are impeccable. He’d seen it all in the ring, and he’s seeing it all now. The blood flowing over swollen lips, the inflating eye and cheekbone. Blood streams terribly from his ear. This usually indicates a ruptured ear drum which is extremely rare and has lead to fights being called off before.

But the real damage, you see in the eyes. Mark Breland is looking into the eyes of lost concern. The eyes of a man who knows sure as he sits in this ring, he doesn’t belong here. He’s out of his depth and he knows it. But Deontay Wilder’s toughness and self belief is beyond question. He’ll go out and take the beating he has to.

Because when punch with a power from beyond the real of calculable physics. https://media.giphy.com/media/QAnGd3G4h29PhDB12W/giphy.gif

All you ever need is one.

He hunted that White whale of a punch. The While whale hunted hunted him back. Deontay Wilder’s power denied the space to set his feet, becomes a skinny sitting duck. Tyson’s choice of range is very important to his safety. He is either outside of the range of Wilder’s jab, or close enough to off balance him with a clinch or bump. He never spends a second at punching range if he can help it.

Look at Wilder’s feet, when pushed against the ropes his stance flattens out, this takes most of the power out of Wilder’s punches since he can’t effectively transfer his weight into the punches. Deontay needs just a moment of space and time to twist his hips. But Tyson won’t give him an inch or an instant to sit down on one of those horrifying haymakers.

Deontay can do nothing. His legs have been shakey for 4 rounds, He’s tiring. Slowly collapsing in on himself as he wears the weight of Tyson Fury’s skills. Deontay staggers at any prompting and hes getting reasons to constantly. To my eye this fight is over, Deontay was just too tough and stubborn to realize it. His face slowly turning into the after photo, blood still pouring from his ear. The steady stream of sub-concussive impacts leaving their marks and taking something Wilder can never get back.

Coming into the fight Tyson Fury said he wanted to taste blood. He swore up and down he was going to knock Deontay Wilder. Now 6 rounds into a real horror show of a mauling Tyson takes the time to live up to his words. Which he generally does, for better or worse. The same bipolar disorder that saw him point point a car at the morgue, is partly responsible for creating one of the finest heavyweights since his namesake.

Did you really expect a man named Tyson Fury to have a stable psyche?

Besides somebody had to fill the void of vampire after BJ Penn’s crazy ass retired. http://mmafury.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/bj-penn-licking-blood-GIF-crazy-2.gif

This version of Tyson Fury is, to my eye, a historical problem for almost any heavyweight who ever lived. A 6’9″ 270lb giant who is walking down one of the hardest punchers of all time with sickening ease. It’s not just that though. He shows a knowledge of technique and strategy, the economical accuracy of a lifetime of defeats. The thousands of losses in sparring, the mistakes and screw ups that get ironed out on the way up. This is Tyson Fury’s B game. He usually prefers his back foot boxing, He has some of the slickest defense and head movement of anybody remotely close to his size. https://media1.giphy.com/media/WpIE1t8dc5QlwHEhGA/giphy.gif?cid=790b76112433e6cb182b3b2ae17bfc53186e614f6933c554&rid=giphy.gif

Deontay never gives up, He keeps winging wild punches with either hand. Missing by inches, before Tyson presses him into the corner and opens up with another combination. The ref’s eyes pinned on him the entire time. But the end of the fight came from Mark Breland. The man who had seen it all, had seen enough. Wilder returns to Breland, furious at the wise old owl who knew when he’d had enough. You’ll thank that old man in a few years, but emotions were hot. Wilder has since accepted Breland back into his good graces.

Deontay was beaten badly, his terrifying aura stripped from him by the final form of the Gypsy King. Wilder has already demanded the trilogy for some insane reason. But this night is entirely overtaken by the technical pressure and versatility of Tyson Fury, whose performance has put him squarely at the top of the heavyweight heap. A place he never lost in the ring. Soon as he could, he called his father who was watching from England. https://twitter.com/AllOfTheBelts/status/1235545776341889024?s=19

Tyson has now thoroughly completed the goal that motivated him from a suicidal depression. Keeping in mind the fact that depression started after he checked off his last one. That nagging miserable question still hangs in the air for Tyson Fury, and maybe it always will.

What now?
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