Fight Talk: Tyson Fury beats Deontay Wilder in stunning bout - how the boxing world reacted
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A fight for the ages and a trilogy worthy of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster.
Tyson Fury came back from two knockdowns on Saturday and sensationally stopped Deontay Wilder in round 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The rivalry is finally put to bed and the Gypsy King's reign in the heavyweight division goes on.
Here's how the night unfolded...
'Rest... in… Peace' - Celebs back Fury
A man who loves to sing in the ring, had his own reality TV show, once tried stand-up comedy, and has even faced a 6ft 8in 'monster' in the scripted world of wrestling entertainment; Fury is more than just a boxer - he's an entertainer.
The Morecambe fighter's persona has won him fans across the globe.
On the day of the fight, he received well wishes from boxing royalty…
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And the football world…
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In the final round of their first bout, which ended in a draw, Fury - seemingly knocked out cold by Wilder - sat upright and 'rose from the dead', drawing comparisons with WWE legend The Undertaker.
Well, The Undertaker - and some of his fellow wrestling stars - came out in support of Fury...
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And Fury had a message back for The Undertaker…
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Fury sings, Wilder makes us wait
A suited Wilder was looking as dapper as the headliners arrived at the arena…
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An hour or so before the first bell, some fighters might pace up and down in the dressing room, others will shadow box to counteract that nervous energy.
Fury? Well, he was just having a sing song…
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After losing to Fury in their previous bout, Wilder (among other excuses such as claiming his ring-walk outfit was too heavy) accused Fury of glove tampering - a claim denied by the Briton.
And there was quite an intense atmosphere as Wilder's coach Jay Diaz - just as he did in the last fight - watched Fury's hands getting wrapped…
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The undercard was done and dusted and the stage was set, but Wilder delayed his walk to the ring.
"I will go when I want to," he reportedly said.
Mind games? Maybe. Maybe not.
Either way, Wilder had little consideration for those British fans waking up (or staying up until) 05:00 BST...
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As the wait went on, basketball legend Magic Johnson made his prediction… boxing will be the winner…
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A bulked-up Wilder - weighing heavier than he ever has for a fight - finally made his way to the ring in a much lighter outfit.
Fury's entrance was electric. He was dressed as a Roman gladiator, walking out to AC/DC. He doesn't do things by half measures...
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Wilder feels the Fury
After one of the most ferocious stare downs we've seen in a boxing ring, it was time to let the fists do the talking.
Would Wilder come out swinging those haymakers? Or had new trainer Malik Scott turned his knockout puncher into a boxing technician?
The American took the first round with jabs to the body, with Fury's edging the second.
It was an even start but, even during the fight, Fury still managed to troll his rival…
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It was round three when things started to heat up as Fury knocked Wilder down with a huge right late on. The challenger held on but was in trouble...
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There's no coming back from that, right?
The fourth round
Wrong.
Wilder - astonishingly - knocked Fury down twice in the fourth
Those in attendance and fans watching at home sat with their jaws ajar.
The boxing world felt we were witnessing a special bout…
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Fabulous Fury dominates
But Fury has a chin to match Wilder's knockout power and the champion remarkably came back to win the next round.
From then on, it was a Fury masterclass as he evaded his opponent's wild, telegraphed punches and picked Wilder apart.
It had become a one-sided affair.
But despite taking blow after blow, Wilder was still swinging.
The Alabama fighter was going out on his shield and, as such, received kudos from the boxing community…
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'And still' - Fury wins by stunning stoppage
A doctor took a close look at Wilder but allowed the fight to go on, but the end was inevitable.
In round 11, it was one knockdown too many for Wilder and the bout was waved off.
Fury had retained the WBC heavyweight belt.
Fighters, trainers, athletes, actors and pretty much everyone watching applauded both men…
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Fury sings (again)
We're accustomed to opponents embracing and putting differences aside once the battle is over, but not this time.
Wilder left the ring without giving any post-fight interview, prompting Fury to call him a "sore loser" and "an idiot".
The Fury show does not end once his hand is raised and, as we've come to expect, there was plenty more entertainment to come.
The crowd cheered as Fury took the mic and belted Marc Cohn's hit 'Walking in Memphis', changing the city name to Vegas.
This American former middleweight champion was a fan…
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We can assume from that the Fury and Robbie Williams Christmas duet obviously didn't quite reach Stateside.
What next?
No sooner does one heavyweight super-fight end than speculation on the next begins.
An undisputed clash with WBO, WBA and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk must be agreed within 30 days otherwise it will be Fury versus fellow Briton Dillian Whyte.
But Ukrainian Usyk is set for a rematch with Anthony Joshua first, so it looks like WBC mandatory Whyte will finally land his shot if he beats Sweden's Otto Wallin on 30 October.
As for Wilder, his bravery earned him many fans on Saturday night and there are calls for a mouth-watering clash with Londoner Joshua…
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We said the fight was reminiscent of a Hollywood film, and BBC boxing pundit Steve Bunce quite aptly commented that "Rocky is like the Teletubbies compared to what you witnessed tonight".
The coming days, weeks and months will tell us just how the heavyweight landscape shapes up but, for now, we can sit back and appreciate a truly wonderful night in the sport.
We'll leave the final word to the champion...
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