ESPN doesn’t have to provide the world an inadvertent drinking game anymore. They did a good job pushing the lineal claim of Tyson Fury between the first two chapters of the Fury-Deontay Wilder rivalry.
Going forward, to most of the world, they have the Heavyweight champion of the world, period. The man who beat the man is now the man who, using a consensus scoring approach (meaning rounds scored one way by at least two of three judges), has won 15 of 19 rounds against the most dangerous puncher in boxing. Fury survived the best Wilder could deliver the first time around.
It turned out we’d only scratched the surface of what Fury was capable of. Staying aggressive from the start, Fury dished out one of the great superfight beatings in heavyweight history. After being in the minority picking Fury the first time around, this corner balked at the extra weight assumed Fury would still play the cautious boxer, and in the end get caught.
There are nights where it is a joy to be wrong. Seeing a performance like Saturday’s was one of them. For years, Wilder skeptics have predicted his technical flaws were ripe for undressing. The right hand kept landing. Just as was the case when Fury feinted long reigning Wladimir Klitschko into a confused mess, Fury exploited holes in the game of Wilder others simply couldn’t with the same success.
Lineal? Check. TBRB and Ring recognition as champion again going forward? Check?
Undisputed?
For those who insist all major belts must resolve to one person to settle the debate once and for all, the heavyweight division for the moment comes down to one fight. We might have to see chapter three before we get there.
Let’s get into it.
The Future for Fury: There will be those who think a refocused Anthony Joshua can upend Fury. They might be right. Until it happens, there shouldn’t be much debate about who rests atop the mountain. There is one proven heavyweight yet to be solved and he’s the man until someone proves otherwise. Contracts dictate Wilder can get a rematch and if Fury has to finish this story first, avoid those bombs again first, so be it. Fury and Wilder make excellent promotions together. There is a better option for the sport and it’s to see Fury-Joshua first. If it happened in the UK, it’s the richest British fight ever though start times could hinder US pay-per-view revenues.
Maybe.
We’ve seen what the combined might of Fox and ESPN could do for a promotion in the US. DAZN doesn’t have the same foothold but ESPN would sell the hell out of a fight that might have an awkward start time. Air it in the right summer spot, say during a time between the baseball All-Star break and the start of football season, and it could surprise us. Put the fight in the US and it grabs a smaller crowd but it makes a ton of money on both sides of the Atlantic. We don’t get two super events at heavyweight in the same calendar year often. 2021 might be a more logical time but it would be outstanding if boxing could surprise us and skip to the final unification showdown sooner than later.
The Future for Wilder: Since the first Luis Ortiz fight, we’ve learned so much about Wilder. What he lacks in technical refinement he makes up for in heart, will, and self belief. To the final, merciful stoppage on Saturday, Wilder was pushing past pain and exhaustion hoping for one stick of dynamite to save himself. It wasn’t to be and it might not be smart to go right back at Fury now. Wilder was largely outboxed the first time. He took a beating Saturday. He’s seen Fury fight with two entirely different approaches and Wilder knows now that what he presents hasn’t been able to defeat either. Wilder got close the first time, literally one second from victory, but close is still too far from where he needs to be. In the preview, it was noted Wilder arguably hadn’t won a clear round in his previous three fights where he didn’t score a knockdown.
Make that four fights in a row now.
Already in his mid-thirties, it’s hard to imagine Wilder finding a new wrinkle or gear to his game. Grave error would be made in thinking Wilder is done even without changes. The best heavyweight in the world beat Wilder. There’s a gap between Fury and the rest of the division. It could actually be smart to let a Fury-Joshua fight unfold, get a knockout or two in the meantime, and be the big money name standing. Wilder can still knock out almost anyone in the world. Now we find out what happens when everyone knows he can be stopped too.
Rold Picks 2020: 4-3
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com