Fury beat Wilder in the 11th round by a Technical Knockout, finishing a trilogy bout that was certain to be an instant classic. “It was a great fight, worthy of the best trilogies. I will not make any excuses, Wilder is a top fighter, he gave me a run for my money,” said Fury after the fight. “I always say I am the best fighter in the world and he is the second best. Don’t ever doubt me. When the chips are down I can always deliver.”
What stood out even before the show down was the mind blowing costume designs that the fighters donned as they made their entrance to the 4 sided ring at the T-mobile Arena. Celebrities at the fight Saturday night also included Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal and retired NFL stars Charles Woodson and Michael Strahan.
Wilder, this time, though, instead of wearing a heavy armor set, he wore a red robe and red mask. The robe was accented with black feathers around the hood and a pair of silver wings on the back. Wilder claimed the attire he wore before facing Fury in February 2020 weakened his legs, contributing to the first loss of his career.
Fury also entered the ring in a creative costume, wearing a robe and a gold helmet like a Trojan warrior with a drummer and a dancer leading the way to the ring. After a mini monologue, Fury walked about to the AC/DC song “You Shook Me All Night Long.” For the last fight, Wilder wore a jewel-encrusted suit that resembled a knight’s armor accented with black skulls. He wore a mask which lit up in red near his eyes and a crown. The set was said to cost $40,000 (Ksh 4Million). He wore similar costumes in the past. In November 2019, he wore a lighter garb with slits to expose his chest with white-and-gold accented shoulder spikes, complete with a mask and crown. In 2018, before his first fight against Wilder, he wore a similar mask and crown, but diverted from the armor by wearing a feathered robe.
It was the second loss of Wilder’s career. Both have come at the hands of Fury, who remains undefeated in his 32 professional fights. Fury went down twice and Wilder went down three times, getting floored the last time with a powerful right hand. The referee promptly waved off the fight.
The result establishes Fury’s supremacy over his American opponent once and for all after their first fight ended in a split draw and their second in a knockout win for the Briton. In the build-up to Saturday’s fight, Wilder had accused Fury of underhanded tactics in the second fight. But Fury’s second successive victory leaves little room for doubt over who is the superior fighter. Fury will be eyeing a fight against the winner of the Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk rematch, expected to take place in the spring. But he might first have to fight Dillian Whyte, who on Oct. 30 fights Otto Wallin.