There have been some great trilogies down the decades in professional boxing. Three fights between the same pugilists invariably bring more drama with them than one and done bouts.
Ali and Frazier, Duran and Leonard, Bowe and Holyfield, Gatti and Ward, Pacquiao and Bradley, as covered at the thereportertimes.com, these rivalries all saw those involved step between the ropes not once, not twice, but thrice. The latest trilogy in the sport comes to a head on the night of July 24 when the WBC heavyweight title is on the line as Tyson Fury tackles Deontay Wilder once again.
This is the third encounter between “The Gypsy King” from the Greater Manchester area of Northern England and the Alabama native called “The Bronze Bomber”. A transatlantic tussle taking place in Las Vegas should end the feud once and for all. The backstory behind the bout is like the screenplay of a Hollywood movie.
Fury conquered Wladimir Klitschko, one of Eastern Europe’s all-time boxing greats, capturing the UBF, IBO, WBA (Super), and WBO heavyweight titles in November 2015. After climbing this mountain and achieving the dream of becoming a world champion, The Gypsy King’s life outside the ring spiraled out of control.
Earlier that same year, Wilder dethroned Canada’s Bermane Stiverne as WBC champ, extending his undefeated streak to 33-0 in the process. The Bronze Bomber made seven successful defenses of the belt over the next three years while Fury worked on his health and returned to the ring. All his old ability remained there, and the stage was set for the pair clashing on December 1, 2018.
What followed inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles was one of the most remark able boxing bouts of modern times. Wilder twice knocked Fury down to the canvas, but he got up again and continued the fight, claiming a sensational draw that caused plenty of controversies and split the judges. No clear winner meant this duo just had to face off again.
Drawn fights in boxing are always something of a surprise, and that is reflected in the way bookmakers price them up in their markets. Whatever the odds on either combatant might be, the bout ending in a tie is always viewed as rare and the least likely outcome. That is the same on all the top boxing betting sites listed on asiabet.org from around the world. Therefore, you can expect big prices on them to happen.
Nobody was tipping a draw between Fury and Wilder the first time around, and there was a far more decisive ending to their rematch off February 22, 2020, in the MGM Grand. In the meantime, both men fought a couple of other opponents and earned easy enough victories. Fury had developed a reputation for being something of the thinking man’s boxer. A smart tactician inside the ring, as well as playing up to the media outside it, he would pick and choose his moments to strike.
That measured, considered, and even cautious approach to boxing went completely out the window in the Wilder rematch. Fury was on the offensive instead, launching a sustained attack on The Bronze Bomber and giving him a humbling dose of his own medicine. The towel was thrown in by Wilder’s corner in round seven with his 43-fight undefeated streak suddenly snapped.
Fury’s retribution arc was complete. Neither he nor Wilder has stepped into the ring since with The Gypsy King’s camp doing all they could to organize an undisputed world heavyweight championship bout with fellow British boxer Anthony Joshua. That may still happen at some stage down the line but not before Wilder exercised his contractual right to a rematch.
There may or may not have been money offered to The Bronze Bomber to step aside and let the all-British fight that so many boxing fans want to see happen. If a financial incentive was on the table, then Wilder turned it down either out of pride or not wanting to relinquish his opportunity and used the US legal system to get an arbitration hearing in court.
The judge ruled in his favor, forcing Fury to face him for a third and likely final time. That is how the trilogy came about, but the end of this saga will be written in the ring this summer.