On Saturday, February 22, 2020, two undefeated champions faced off. Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder and rival Tyson Fury had the fight of their careers at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise in Nevada. The earlier match between the duo in 2018 had ended in a draw, so the stakes were high for this rematch, there was going to be a clear winner.
Deontay stood the risk of losing his belt, Fury had the chance to reclaim his title. By the end of the fight, Tyson Fury was crowned the WBC Heavyweight Champion. What can we learn from this unlikely victory?
- Under Promise and Over Deliver – The build-up to the February 22nd fight between Wilder and Fury enjoyed a lot of high-level press. At these conferences, Wilder goes on about how he saved Fury’s life from drug addiction and gave him purpose. Wilder also mercilessly mocked Fury’s weight gain. Fury was up 17 pounds from his previous weight, probably a strategy to withstand Wilder’s famous punches.
While banter is a normal occurrence in sports, expectations begin to rise naturally, to match the claims that have been made. Wilder did not however deliver on the same stellar level that he is known for. He lost the fight woefully to Fury, in spite of his over the top claims. He just did not live up
- Never Underestimate Your Opponent – In 2018, Wilder and Fury had faced off in a fight that ended in a draw. In that match, Wilder had knocked Fury down twice, but Fury got back up, both times. This was something that had never happened in the history of Wilder’s career. His knockout punch was of legendary status. One of Wilder’s famous claims is, ‘my opponent has to be prepared for 12 rounds, I only have to be prepared for one second’.
And in reality, that is all Wilder has ever needed, just one knockout punch and the fight is over. But that did not happen here. Fury did not even give Wilder the opportunity to land any of his powerful punches. Fury dominated the ring, showing superior strength, skill and delivery. The facts speak for themselves, Fury landed 82 out of his 267 punches thrown compared to Wilder’s 34 punches that landed out of 141 thrown.
- Do Not Rest On Your Past Laurels – A champion is a person that keeps on winning. Up until Saturday February 22nd, Wilder was an undefeated WBC Heavyweight champion. To be undefeated means he had not lost any fight. Wilder has appeared in a total of 44 fights, has enjoyed 42 Wins, winning all 42 fights with his famous Knockout. He has had only one draw in his career, which was against Fury in 2018. And for the first time in the history of his career, Wilder has had his first loss. He lost because he thought he could not lose. Because he thought 41 wins will prevent him from ever losing. His opponent was bigger, more driven, more thirsty, and had more going for him than just one knockout punch.
- Know When To Throw In The Towel – Wilder was clearly outmatched for this fight. By the seventh round of the fight, his left ear was bleeding and swollen and he had lost his balance. He was getting thrown off after every punch. His team threw in the towel at this point, and Fury won on a technical knockout. Though Wilder was clearly frustrated by the decision that was made, it was obvious that his team had made the right call. The former heavyweight champion was losing the fight and worse, his injury was getting worse. Staying longer in the ring would have cost him longer recovery time, it only made sense to draw the curtain. Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing how to win.
- Anybody can make a come back – In 2015, Tyson Fury was world heavyweight champion, he had defeated Wladimir Klitschko to claim this title. However, he soon fell into a depressing spiral of drug and alcohol abuse and subsequently, weight gain. He was declared medically unfit to fight after he failed a drug test for cocaine. The champion lost his belts and his license.
After this episode, Fury announced that he was taking time off to focus on his healing and recovery. In 2017, he was back in training with his sights set on Wilder. Fury reapplied for his boxing license in 2018 and he was set to meet with Wilder on December 1 2018. The fight controversially ended in a draw, with a rematch slated for February 22 2020. After the match on Saturday however, It is clear to the world that Fury is the undeniable champion.
Deontay Wilder overestimated his abilities and underestimated his opponent, a classic recipe for failure. He lost his WBC Heavyweight champion title to Tyson Fury, and also recorded his first-ever loss.