After three grueling battles in the squared circle, fans might expect Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury to have squashed any beef left between them. But, that doesn’t seem to quite be the case.
One of the major notable story lines coming out of the heavyweight boxing trilogy bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder was the animosity left over after the fight was done.
Having now been bested in 2 out of 3 fights between them, fans might have expected the ‘Bronze Bomber’ and Fury to find some kinship from their time in the ring together. And while it certainly seems that that may have been Fury’s intention going forward, video recorded from Wilder’s corner just after the bout, showed that the Alabama native wasn’t all that interested in picking up what the ‘Gypsy King’ was putting down.
Clear audio of Deontay Wilder telling Tyson Fury “I don’t respect you” after The Gypsy King gives him big props. After such an emotional defeat and build-up, I can understand not shaking hands but to say that? Shame after the tremendous courage he showedpic.twitter.com/KgFyQIpFiE
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) October 14, 2021
“Listen, one of my rules is respect. You got me fair and square tonight. That’s it. I respect you,” Tyson Fury could be heard telling Wilder, after their bout.
But Wilder just shook his head. And once Fury finished his ovation, he was quick to dismiss dismisses Fury’s words.
“I don’t respect you,” Wilder can be heard saying as Fury tries to respond.
“Listen, I’ve never cheated in my life. I played fair and square,” Fury added, speaking to a journalist after the exchange. “He’s got a bad hatred toward me, I don’t know why. But, let me tell you, he lost like a man tonight. He put me down three times, I put him down four. A great heavyweight fight.
Fury and Wilder first met in 2018, fighting to a split draw. They met again in 2020, with Fury winning by 7th round TKO. It seems unlikely that they’ll meet again any time soon at this point, but with Fury being the only man yet to defeat Wilder in the ring, that rivalry may never quite die down completely. For the moment, however, it seems Wilder is going to be stepping away from his career as a prize fighter.
“I don’t really want Deontay talking about boxing, doing nothing with boxing for quite some time,” Wilder’s trainer, Malik Scott, said after the fight. “I want to get him some good rest, especially after this. Because even after the last fight, he was so worked up, so worked up over time, in training, arbitration … he really never got to rest. He deserved a good rest. We’re going to make sure he gets it now.”