Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder: Instant classic? Another rematch? The debate rages
Amid the bright lights befitting of a heavyweight title bout on the iconic Las Vegas Strip, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder met the hype in the third installment of their trilogy on Saturday night.
Fury defended his status as the lineal heavyweight champ with an 11th-round knockout in a back-and-forth fight punctuated by knockdowns on both sides.
In the end, Fury was the last man standing after a trio of fights that spanned nearly three years.
Their first fight — on Dec. 1, 2018 – went the distance and ended in a split draw (115-11 Wilder, 114-112 Fury and 113-113). That controversial result paved the way for an obvious rematch, held Feb. 22, 2020.
Fury won that bout in dominant fashion, claiming victory via TKO after Wilder's corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.
Several delays, most of them due to the pandemic, pushed back Wilder-Fury III, but Saturday marked the moment boxing fans had been waiting for.
It was the biggest fight in both of their careers — literally — as the two men weighed in at the heaviest they ever had for a fight: 277 pounds for Fury and 238 for Wilder.
As the dust settled and the singing (from Fury's side) ended, the obvious question began to be asked: Was it an instant classic?
Although Skip Bayless of "Undisputed" didn't quite think so, his cohost, Shannon Sharpe, had other ideas.
"I'd say it's a top-five trilogy," Sharpe said.
"Obviously, Ali-Frazier, when you think of trilogies, it starts and stops with that one. … I can't believe I'm saying this because, when you think about it, one guy [Wilder] lost all of them! … This was a great fight because of the action. It's very few times, Skip, we get the two best in anything and then the fight lives up to the expectations. … In my lifetime of trilogies, it's a top-five for me."
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Shannon Sharpe explains why the Wilder-Fury trilogy ranks among the top five of trilogy fights in his lifetime.
Chris Broussard of "First Things First" had a similar read in the aftermath of the bout, saying that anyone who watched got their money's worth.
Broussard even took his father, a fellow boxing fan, to task for not believing it was an instant classic.
"I'm sorry, but Daddy — and yes, I still call my father ‘Daddy’ — Daddy, you're wrong!" Broussard said. "It was an instant classic. This was a tremendous fight."
At the end of Broussard's analysis, Nick Wright mentioned that he would be game for the series to continue.
"Let's see it again!" Wright said. "I want a Part IV. It's rare that I want a Part IV when one guy is yet to win episodes I, II or III, but I want to see a fourth one."
Those logistics could be tough to iron out, especially with other potential contenders angling for a fight with Fury and boxing's undeniably befuddling organizational structure.
But even if they do get a fourth fight on the books, Sharpe doesn't see it going Wilder's way.
Time will tell whether there is another chapter yet to be written in this rivalry — or if Saturday's slugfest will serve as the bookend to a trilogy for the ages.