Tyson Fury defeats Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title

Tyson Fury put on a masterful performance Saturday night in Las Vegas and stunned WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder by dominating in their rematch and scoring a pair of knockdowns en route to a seventh-round technical knockout.

Nothing went right for the beaten and battered Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), who’s corner threw in the towel to save him from further punishment from Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), who fought fantastically from the first round to the finish.

“A big shout out to Deontay Wilder. He came here tonight and he manned up and he really did show the heart of a champion. I hit him with a clean right that dropped him and he got back up. He is a warrior. He will be back. He will be champion again.

“But I will say, the king has returned to the top of the throne!”

Fury outlanded Wilder 82-34 in total punches, per CompuBox. Fury landed 58 power punches in less than seven rounds in their rematch after landing just 38 in the first fight. Wilder landed just 18 power shots.

At the time of the stoppage, two judges had the fight 59-52, while the other scored it 59-53. The Times had the fight at 59-53.

“The best man won tonight, but my corner threw in the towel and I was ready to go out on my shield,” Wilder said. “I had a lot of things going on heading into this fight. It is what it is, but I make no excuses tonight. I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield. I’m a warrior. He had a great performance and we will be back stronger.

“Even the greatest have lost and came back, that is just part of it,” Wilder continued. “You just take it for what it is. I can make no excuses tonight. I had a lot of complications. But we’ll come back stronger next time around. This is what big-time boxing is all about, the best must fight the best. I appreciate all the fans that came out and supported the show, and I hope that everyone gets home safely.”

The announced crowd at the MGM Grand was 15,816, a sellout. It generated a total gate of $16,916,440, making it the highest ever for a heavyweight fight in Nevada history, beating the previous mark of the rematch between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield in 1999.

Seventh round: A left hook by Tyson Fury pushes Deontay Wilder into the ropes, who again holds.

Wilder counters with a chopping right but his body language is terribly bad and he’s unsteady on he’s feet from the punishment.

It gets the attention of Fury, who goes on to punish Wilder even more until Wilder’s corner throws in the towel. We have a new WBC heavyweight champion!

Sixth round: Wilder’s legs look wobbly and he hasn’t found his groove since being dropped in the third. The nervousness in his face is evident and he appears a bit done. Fury stares him down to end the round, another dominant one in his favor. Everything working for the British boxer.

L.A. Times card: Fury 10-9; Fury leads 59-53

Fifth round: Deontay Wilder is dropped again a little over one minute into the round with a left to the body. Fury is putting on a masterful performance and dominating the fight. Wilder has no answers. There is bleeding in his left ear, and Fury is confident and cruising. We could have an change of the titles really soon if Wilder doesn’t rebound.

L.A. Times card: Fury 10-8; Fury leads 49-44

Fourth round: Wilder appears to be uncomfortable as he’s backpedaling from corner to corner. Fury is timing his shots impeccably and stings him again, but Bayless rules it a trip as both of the fighter’s feet tangle.

A lot more holding in this round, as Wilder tries to regroup from the knockdown. Fury takes it.

L.A. Times card: Fury 10-9; Fury leads 39-36

Third round: Fury stuns Wilder 35 seconds into the round and the Alabaman momentarily holds on to stave off additional punishment. Wilder keeps setting up his punches with a left jab and right hand.

Fury looks like a more complete fighter, and proves it by knocking down Wilder with a left jab and right cross. Wilder falls again after some contact soon after, but referee Kenny Bayless rules a second fall a slip, and Wilder is saved by the bell.

L.A. Times Card: Fury 10-8; Fury leads 29-27

Second round: A lazy left hook by Fury in the opening 30 seconds sets Wilder up for a perfect counter hook of his own. Fury has to be careful with recklessly throwing punches and leaving openings. Wilder connects with a couple of his patented overhand rights soon after. It gets the crowd going, who chant, “USA! USA!” in approval.

Wilder lands another right. Fury promised a second-round knockout leading up to the fight, but came nowhere close to backing his words. The round ends with a tussle and both fighters have to be separated.

L.A. Times card: Wilder 10-9; tied 19-19

First Round: Tyson Fury runs out of the corner and charges Deontay Wilder and begins to feint. He lands the first punch of the fight, which awakens Wilder, who lands two huge rights of his own.

Fury responds with a flury and gets the attention of fans, who begin to chant “There’s only one Tyson Fury” and “You big dosser” teasing Wilder. A close round, but Fury edges with a crisp and clean jab.

L.A. Times card: Fury 10-9.

Tyson Fury is arguably up 1-0 after the ring walks. Fury came out like a king comfortably resting in his throne, catapulted on a moving compartment carried by a quartet of ladies.

Wilder came out to a live act adorned in his traditional, yet a new variation, of a diamond encrusted mask and body armor.

A trio of heavyweight royalty in Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were each honored in the ring before the start of Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury fight.

The 90s were a great time for heavyweights. Will today mark the start of a new renaissance?

Meanwhile...

Will Deontay Wilder become the best heavyweight boxer the United States has produced since Mike Tyson?

The Baddest Man On The Planet has entered the building after two days of incessantly signing autographs at the MGM Grand, and will look to anoint Wilder should he beat the opponent of which was named after him.

Side note: Tyson’s deliberate walk and leather jacket make him look like a hired assassin. Even at the age of 53, Tyson is still a baaaaaaaaaaad man.

Former IBF champion Charles Martin (27-2-1, 24 KOs) is fighting out of Carson these days and trains with Manny Robles, the former head coach of recently unseated heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.

“Prince Charles” punished Gerald Washington (20-3-1, 13 KOs), of Vallejo with a crushing left hook in the sixth round to score the highlight-real knockout.

Washington picked himself back up from the canvas and was still dazed, and referee Tony Weeks deemed it too dangerous to continue for the former USC football player.

“I knew that I had him hurt a few times in the fight,” Martin said. “Every round I think I hurt him, but I just couldn’t finish him. I knew that I had to take my time in there. It took me some rounds to catch up with him, because he’s very quick on the retreat.

“This win means a lot. It shows that I’ve been working hard. The people can see it. I was never hurt at any point. This has just given me more confidence in myself. I can take the punches and give the punches.”

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are both shown on the big screen and the crowd erupts in favor of Fury, who seemingly has a home-field advantage against the 2008 US Olympic bronze medalist.

As soon as the co-feature between Gerald Washington and Charles Martin concludes, we should finally get to see the highly anticipated rematch. If I were to tap into my Nostradamus powers, I predict the bell for Wilder-Fury round one will ring at 9:09 p.m. PT.

Surely there’s nothing awkward about this, but pound-for-pound stalwarts Terrence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are seated in front of one another.

Crawford should tap Spence on the shoulder and get the next super fight squared away instead of jawing at each other on social media.

James Dolan is sitting in front of Spence. They can loop him into the impromptu meeting as well and ask when Madison Square Garden is available.

Raiders owner Mark Davis and coach Jon Gruden were interviewed on the arena big screen before 8 p.m. PST. It’s really happening. The Las Vegas Raiders are officially a thing.

“We want to be the heavyweight champions [of the NFL],” said Gruden. “Let’s have fun tonight.”

Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) pitched a near shutout and then scored a definitive finish when he defended his WBO bantamweight title for the fifth consecutive time against Jeo Santisima (19-3, 16 KOs) with an 11th-round technical knockout.

Referee Russell Mora stepped in to stop the beating Santisima was taking, just as the fighter’s corner threw in the towel with 40 seconds left in the round.

The knockout was a welcome addition to the night in what has otherwise been a paltry and snoozer of an undercard.

Although the arena is packed to the brim, not a single peep was heard during the supporting showcase until the final flurry.

Five out of the seven fights have ended without a knockout so far. Surely the heavyweights will balance those numbers, right? The final two fights of the night feature the big boys.

Being a subject of the British Empire, it only makes sense that Tyson Fury would be greeted by Hunter Hearst Helmsley (also known as Triple H) before Saturday’s title fight with Deontay Wilder.

Fury looks smitten over the opportunity to meet Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon. He’s gotta very Rob Gronkowski-like attitude about him.

As for the boxing thing, if and when Fury decides to retire, the WWE might be a good fit for him. William Regal II has a nice ring to it.

Tyson Fury seems to be feeling good heading into his WBC title fight against Deontay Wilder. His pre-fight routine would seem somewhat unorthodox to the uninitiated, but it’s pure Fury.

Fury seems be in a jolly mood and as loose as he can be before he fights arguably the hardest-hitting puncher in heavyweight history.

Meanwhile, Wilder is trying to stay loose in a more conventional way. If Fury ends up losing this might turn into Exhibit 1A in the fight postmortem. If he loses, this video will only help his legend grow to new heights.

We shall see in about an hour and half when they finally meet in the ring.

As we wait for the start of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury: The rematch, CNN dives into the most pressing topic of conversation that’s come out of the Silver State this entire week.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is starting to fill up nicely.

Having tickets to a fight in Sin City must be a tough balancing act. What if you’re riding a hot hand on the craps table, raking in a fortune, but the fight is about to start and you need to leave? What if your significant other insists on having dessert after dinner at the fancy restaurant even though you preferred the food court for the sake of saving time? What if you drank one too many mojitos and forgot which casino you’re in?

We’re still at least an hour and half away from the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch.

Even though Sebastian Fundora has the size, he failed to show the sizzle tonight.

The 22-year-old cruised for 10 rounds to an uninspiring win and netted a unanimous decision over Daniel Lewis with scores of 97-93, 98-92, 99-91.

Fundora improves to 14-0-1, 9 KOs. He celebrated by wearing a sombrero in his post-fight interview. Lewis goes home with a badly swollen right eye for his troubles.

“I think it was a fair decision and a good fight,” Fundora said. “There were a lot of hard punches. I knew he would be tough. When they told me I was fighting an Olympian, I knew it would be a tough fight. He probably had more experience than me, but we prepared the right way and got the win. I always want to use my height and my physical gifts, but it just depends on the fight. If the situation changes, we have to be ready to adapt.”

Tyson Fury has arrived at the arena wearing a suit bearing his own likeness.

Deontay Wilder has entered the MGM Grand as well, wearing an ensemble created by Cosmos Glamsquad, the designers of his ring walk attire. Wilder is promising an epic entrance.

The British have invaded Las Vegas and are going bonkers at the MGM Grand bars in support of their own fighter, Tyson Fury.

Fun fact to share with your friends tonight if you too are cracking open cold ones: The MGM Grand once ran out of beer when Manchester’s Ricky Hatton lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2007. The Brits take their beer very seriously.

6:06 p.m.: Conor McGregor has invaded the fight. No, not the person. But his whisky label “Proper Twelve,” which is an official sponsor of the event. Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. plugs the brand during fight intros.

6:09 p.m.: Coachella’s Sebastian Fundora (13-0-1, 9 KOs) takes on Daniel Lewis (6-0, 4 KOs) of Australia in the pay-per-view opener. Fundora is a 154-pound fighter who stands at 6 feet 5. Lewis is 5-10 and looks like he could need a step ladder to land a flush punch on the towering figure.

And if you’re looking for a little more about tonight’s main event between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, check out my interview with Fury from last month:

Norwalk’s Javier Molina and Amir Imam fought for ten rounds, and Molina did more than enough to garner the attention of the judges, scoring a unanimous decision with scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 78-74.

Molina represented the U.S. in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and now improves his record to 22 wins, two losses, with nine wins coming by way of knockout.

The pay-per-view portion of the event has now begun begun. Fork over the funds, or keep following along here for all of your updates.

Puerto Rican pugilist Subriel Matias had knocked out all 15 opponents he’d ever faced in his pro career. Then he met Armenian Petros Ananyan, and the streak suddenly stopped, and so did his undefeated record. Ananyan scored a unanimous decision with scores of 96-93, 95-94 and 95-94 in an entertaining fight.

Matias suffered a knockdown in the seventh when Ananyan (15-2-2, 7 KOs) attacked him with a barrage of punches, and Matias fell back into the ropes. Referee Robert Byrd gave Matias a standing eight count, and he was soon saved by the bell.

Ananyan finished the fight strong to secure the decision.

This was Matias’ second fight since defeating Maxim Dadashev last year. Dadashev died shortly after his fight from head injuries.

Matias landed a total of 282 punches and Ananyan had 202. Most of Matias’ onslaught came in the early rounds, and Ananyan finished the fight strong to steal the win.

4:04 p.m.: Stockton lightweight Gabriel Flores Jr. came out with a Kobe Bryant “Mamba Forever” robe and immediately dropped Matt Conway 30 seconds into the first round with a right hand. Nothing really of substance happened for the remainder of the fight, and Flores Jr. cruised to an easy unanimous decision victory.

Flores Jr. improved his undefeated career record to 17 wins, but the knockouts, only six so far in his career, have escaped him.

Here’s how Flores rocked the Mamba tribute before his fight:

3:30 p.m.: Mielnicki Jr. laid down a beating for four rounds that would send any other teen to the principal’s office. White Magic scores a unanimous decision and now has five career victories.

3:06 p.m.: New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. is all of 17 years old and he hasn’t even graduated high school yet, but he’s looking for his fifth career win as a professional boxer against Corey Champion. What were you doing at age 17?

2:56 p.m.: Isaac Lowe, a friend and confidant who lives in the same house during camp with Tyson Fury in Las Vegas, won a decision against Alberto Guevarra in an ugly, foul-filled fight.

2:20 p.m.: Rolando Romero, who is signed with Floyd Mayweather’s promotional company, made easy money of previously undefeated Arturs Ahmetovs and improved to 11 wins in his career, with 10 KOs.

Big-time fights bring out the stars, and a who’s who are slated to attend Saturday night.

Some of the celebrities include: Evander Holyfield, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Jon Gruden, Mark Davis, Michael J. Fox, chefs Gordon Ramsey and Wolfgang Puck, Draymond Green, Jalen Rose and seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

Now that awards season is over, heavyweight title fights are always the place to be when it comes to stargazing.

It has been nearly 15 years since Mike Tyson’s last competitive boxing match, but the former knockout artist still draws crowd in Las Vegas.

As fans waited for the doors of the MGM Grand Garden Arena to open at 2 p.m. for the start of the undercard ahead of the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch, some decided it was worth it to pay at least $200 and stand in line for Iron Mike’s autograph:

That’s quite a line. Disneyland has nothing on Mike Tyson. Still, this should have been expected based on the way crowds were flocking to see Tyson during Friday’s Wilder-Fury weigh in. Tyson knows how to make a dramatic entrance, even when seemingly emerging from the bathroom.

Arash Markazi: I thought Tyson Fury won the first fight but it probably should have ended with a Deontay Wilder knockout in the 12th round. I’ve watched Fury get up from that right hand a hundred times and it still amazes me each time. I think Wilder connects again with that right hand in the ninth round and Fury isn’t able to get up. If it goes the distance, I could see Fury, who’s the better pure boxer, winning on the judges’ scorecards but I just see Wilder ending this one in the later rounds.

Prediction: Wilder by knockout.

Norm Frauenheim: Deontay Wilder’s power is called singular. That’s one way of saying it’s exceptional. But it’s another way of saying it’s one-dimensional. It’s both. The question is whether that one dimension, exceptional as it is, is enough to beat the many-sided skill set that Tyson Fury possesses and uses with all the guile of a street-corner magician.

Fury uses footwork, angles, feints and more than a few goofy gestures to confuse and distract. It will bewilder Wilder for a while. But it won’t beat him, not this time.

Fury has a problem. Wilder knows it. Fury does, too. There’s a long line of scar tissue above his right eye. It’s been on the mend since he needed 47 stitches for a deep wound suffered against Otto Wallin on Sept. 14. Under ordinary circumstances, it has healed. But boxing, especially the heavyweight version, is beyond ordinary. Punches land. So, too, do elbows and foreheads. A rupture, a risk acknowledged by Fury a couple of months ago, is a threat to him and an invitation to Wilder. He’ll target it and reopen the wound, forcing a stoppage.

Prediction: Wilder in a late-round TKO.

Manouk Akopyan: Deontay Wilder has become rather one-dimensional of late, losing rounds on the judges’ scorecards, only to come from behind and score knockouts with his one-hitter quitter of a right hand. If Wilder didn’t knock down Fury in the 12th round in the first fight, he would have lost the fight via points. In his last fight against Luis Ortiz, Wilder was down big on all three scorecards before scoring a knockout in the seventh. Can Wilder keep playing with fire and lose rounds looking for the knockout?

Fury is a slick slugger who can box circles around Wilder if he’s on his A-game. He has brought on a new trainer in SugarHill Steward and is promising a knockout. It would be better for Fury to stick to the script of outboxing Wilder off his back foot instead of engaging in all-out war like he suggested. He will save his chin from Wilder’s skull-crushing right hand, and the scar over his tattered right eye from potentially reopening to secure the upset.

Prediction: Fury by unanimous decision

The latest odds from Las Vegas

Do you have any loose change in your couch cushions? Splurge as you wish, if the odds are to your liking.

https://twitter.com/ManoukAkopyan/status/1231299127935266816

Deontay Wilder weighs in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Friday.

(Associated Press)

For the first time ever, Fox and ESPN are co-promoting a boxing pay-per-view, making it the most distributed pay-per-view of all time. Now that we’ve established that you haven’t forked over major moolah on tickets to watch the match in person at the MGM Grand, rest easy, there are many other options for your consumption.

With a price point of $79.99, fans can order the event through all major cable and satellite TV providers, through mobile devices via the Fox Sports App and ESPN+, all major connected TV devices and via ESPN.com and FoxSports.com.

Wilder-Fury won’t have an official start time, but history indicates it will start no sooner than 8:30 p.m. PST. Exactly when the headliners actually get into the ring is always a moving target depending on the pace of the undercard fights, and how well the PPV buys are tracking.

In a move to generate even more interest, the ring walks will air on ESPN before switching off.

Bob Arum is predicting 2 million PPV buys and over $100 million in revenue, and he’s already eyeing a trilogy for October.

The PPV portion of the broadcast begins at 6 p.m., and it will feature three other fights:

• Charles Martin vs Gerald Washington
• Emanuel Navarrete vs. Jeo Santisima
• Sebastian Fundora vs. Daniel Lewis

For fans interested in leaving the comfortable confines of their couches and attaining a big-fight feel, tickets can be purchased at select movie theaters across the United States via Fathom Events.

If watching sporting events at the cinema is not your thing, you can search for a local bar or restaurant that’s showing the fight via Joe Hand Promotions.

For those who are in Sin City, closed-circuit viewing parties will be available at the MGM Grand, Mirage, Park MGM, Mandalay Bay and New York New York.

In addition to the pay-per-view, two preliminary fights — Amir Imam vs. Javier Molina and Subriel Matias vs. Petros Ananyan — will begin at 4:30 p.m. on FS1, ESPNEWS and in Spanish on Fox Deportes and ESPN3. ESPNEWS’ coverage will switch to ESPN at 5 p.m.

If boxing is really your thing, you can knock yourself out with even more fights.

Four bouts will be available on the Fox Sports App and ESPN App beginning at 2 p.m. The fights are: Rolando Romero vs. Arturs Ahmetovs; Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Matt Conway; Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Corey Champion; Isaac Lowe vs. Alberto Guevara.

Catch up on the key story lines, courtesy of reporters Arash Markazi, Norm Freunheim and Manouk Akopyan, all of whom are on the grounds covering the fight in Sin City.

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Deontay Wilder to fight Tyson Fury in rematch Feb. 22 in Las Vegas

Did you miss the first fight between Wilder and Fury? If so, you can watch the full fight here:

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Watch the first time Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury met in the ring.

For shoulder programming around the fight, visit the PBC on Fox and Top Rank YouTube pages.

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury get into an altercation on stage during Wednesday’s news conference.

(John Gurzinski / AFP via Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will meet in a heavyweight championship rematch Saturday at the MGM Grand looking to settle the score once and for all after their first fight in Dec. 2018 at Staples Center ended in a controversial split decision draw.

Will Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) prevail with his devastating one-punch knockout power? Or will the slick-slugging Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) outbox the WBC champion throughout the night?

The 50-50 fight is one of the most intriguing heavyweight matchups in recent memory, and the pay-per-view event has been paired with an unprecedented promotion from Fox and ESPN.

The Los Angeles Times will be reporting from ringside all day long in-line below to bring you up-to-the-minute news and analysis around the mega fight.

Here are the latest odds for the fight: