Resurrection Men: Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury Reanimate the Heavyweight Division

[bluemurder]

Los Angeles—For once, the din of outrage failed to block out the hum of appreciation. Bad decisions, or at least those that are perceived as such, tend to ignite a wildfire of complaints: wretched cries of “robbery” and effete calls for reform and abolition. But what Tyson Fury accomplished in the twelfth round against Deontay Wilder in their WBC heavyweight title fight at the Staples Center on Saturday night gave pause to such antics. In a sport short on ineffable moments, not even the announcement of a couple of questionable scorecards could overshadow what transpired in that fateful round.

There was the usual caviling, to be sure, with tinfoil-hat specialists, online and in the stands, keen to point out that referee Jack Reiss had handed Fury a long count after he had been splayed out on his back from Wilder’s caterwauling right-hand, left-hook combination at the 2:21 mark of the final round. Not to mention the indignation reserved for the verdict, a split-decision draw, in which judge Alejandro Rochin inexplicably scored 115-111 for Wilder, to go along with more reasonable scores of 114-112 for Fury and 113-113, in a fight that many observers ringside felt should have been awarded to “The Gypsy King,” whose guile and acumen overcame the brutal but artless power of Wilder for long stretches.

https://hannibalboxing.com/resurrect...ight-division/

[boliodogs]

It was an interesting fight but it was just one fight. The heavyweight division is the same as it was before and AJ and Wilder still have to fight if we are going to have a single champion. I think the long count robbed Wilder of a KO win that should have been his. Since he did not get the KO Fury should have won on points. Two wrongs don't make a right. They make a confusing mess.