In Tyson Fury’s first meeting with Deontay Wilder, the English fighter produced one of the most unlikely moments in boxing history in the final round.
Fury and Wilder have met each other in the ring on a total of three occasions, with their rivalry being one of the greatest in modern boxing history.
Wilder was labeled as one of boxing’s all-time hardest hitters at the peak of his career, while Tyson had some of his career-best performances against the ‘Bronze Bomber’.
Getting up from a devastating knockout blow, Fury blew the minds of every spectator when the pair met in Los Angeles in 2018.
Tyson Fury remarkably got back to his feet following Deontay Wilder’s huge shot
In what had been a tensely contested bout for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship, Fury would face some adversity in round nine in his first meeting with Wilder.
At the one-minute mark of the ninth round, Fury would be knocked down by Wilder. However, despite there being two minutes left on the clock, Fury would survive the round.
The real test of Fury would come three rounds later in the 12th and final round.
Less than a minute into the final round, a cracking two-punch combination would send Fury to the canvas, in what appeared to be a knockout blow.
Despite being sprawled on his back looking dazed, Fury remarkably made it back to his feet to beat the count. Springing to his feet around halfway through the 10-count, fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
With over two minutes left on the clock, Wilder began to unload on a likely still-dazed Fury. However, the ‘Gypsy King’ would defy all odds and recover and survive.
Although the fight would end in a split draw, Fury’s recovery and ability to get back up is considered one of the greatest sporting moments in modern history.
The referee of the fight, Jack Reiss, described the count that he gave Fury and giving him the ability to continue as the “best decision he ever made” to TNT Sports.
Fury would go on to be the winner of the pair’s eventual trilogy. The second and third fights would end in seventh and eleventh-round knockouts for Fury respectively.
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Tyson Fury announces retirement from professional boxing
On January 13th, 2025, Fury announced his retirement from professional boxing.
Fury suffered the first defeat of his professional career in 2024 when he faced Oleksandr Usyk in May of that year. Rematching the Ukrainian six months later, he would once again suffer a loss to Usyk.
The ‘Gypsy King’ expressed significant dissatisfaction about the judge’s scorecards in both bouts and would retire from boxing just weeks later. However, there were some interesting potential opponents for Fury’s next fight, including Anthony Joshua.
Taking to social media to announce his retirement, Fury said, “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single moment of it.”
Although fans were skeptical of Fury’s retirement post, should his career end here, he will hang up his gloves as a two-time heavyweight champion with a record of 34-2-1.
Fury has provided boxing with dozens of memorable moments over the years. However, perhaps none as incredible as his 12th-round performance against Wilder.