One of the Heavyweight division’s most bitter rivalries comes to a head tonight when WBC champion Tyson Fury meets the man he took the belt from, Deontay Wilder, in a long-brewing trilogy match.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the ESPN+-streamed main card (watch it here), which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. Fury and Wilder will likely make the walk closer to midnight.
“Gypsy King” and “Bronze Bomber” first met in 2018, when Wilder nearly undid all of Fury’s hard work with a vicious twelfth-round knockdown. Fury showed incredible mettle to get to his feet, and while he had to settle for a questionable draw, he left no doubt in their Feb. 2020 rematch, battering Wilder from pillar to post (watch it).
After a long and unpleasant series of events, they’ll finally settle the score this evening.
The all-Heavyweight main card will also see Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba face rising Cuban Frank Sanchez in a rare clash of unbeaten prospects, Robert Helenius look to repeat his stunning upset of Adam Kownacki, and blue-chip prospect Jared Anderson open the show against undefeated Vladimir Tereshkin.
Fury Vs. Wilder 3 Quick Results:
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder — Fury def. Wilder by TKO at 1:10 of Round Eleven
Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez — Sanchez def. Ajagba by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91 x2)
Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki — Helenius def. Kownacki by DQ (low blows) at 2:38 of Round Six
Jared Anderson vs. Vladimir Tereshkin — Anderson def. Tereshkin by TKO at 2:51 of Round Two
Fury Vs. Wilder 3 Round-By-Round Updates:
Heavyweight Championship: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder
Round one: Wilder targeting the body early with jabs and right hands. Big swings upstairs. More jabs downstairs. Much busier than normal. Halfway through. Fury with a 1-2 into the clinch. Wilder 1-1-2 falls short. Right hands to the body. Fury with a body shot in the corner. Clinch. 1-2 lands for Fury. Bigger one soon after. 10-9 Wilder.
Round two: Fury with a bit more aggression, clinch. Wilder hurling right hands, digs a powerful hook to the body. Clinch. Fury lands his own right hook to the body. Clinch. Wilder barrels in, clinch halfway through the round. Solid left hook by Fury on the ropes, clinch. Trading body shots inside. Fury answers a right cross with a 1-2 into the clinch. 3-2, clinch. Clinch. Wilder hurls some rights inside. 10-9, 20-18 Wilder.
Round three: solid exchanges in the center. Left hooks land for Fury, clinch. Wilder fires a 3-2, jabs the body. Clinch. Jab from Fury, cross from Wilder. Fury catches him behind the ear with a right hand, eats a bigger one in return halfway through the round. Clinch. Stiff jab by Fury, good left hook behind it. Wilder lands a 1-2 in response. Two more heavy rights, clinch. Fury suddenly rocks Wilder with a two-piece against the ropes and sends him to the mat. Wilder beats the count with time to spare and looks steady. Fury with a hard 3-2 and uppercuts in the clinch. He nearly manages to polish him off, but runs out of time. 10-8 Fury, 28-28.
Round four: Fury pushing forward, pressing the advantage. Trading in the clinch against the ropes. They separate. Left hook by Fury. Clinch. Clinch. Fury fires another right hand, clinch. Wilder looking like he’s lost the early confidence and Fury opens up against the ropes halfway through. Suddenly, he lands a huge right cross that takes out Fury’s legs and puts him on the canvas. Wilder going for the kill. Fury lands a counter right, but Wilder drops him a second time with a right hand in the clinch. There’s the bell. 10-7, 38-35 Wilder.
Round five: Wilder swinging big to start the round. Clinch from Fury. Clean jab, left hook. Clinch. 1-1-2 hurts Wilder and they tie up again. Short uppercuts land for Fury before the ref separates them. Stiff Fury jab. Halfway through. Wilder hurls a series of right hands, can’t land clean. Both throw, neither connects in the center. Fury lands to the body, clinches. Right cross, clinch. More clinching. 10-9 Fury, 47-45 Wilder.
Round six: Fury opens with a double jab. Left hook lands. Pushing forward, enters the clinch behind a right hand. Wilder tries to answer with combinations as they swing inside. Clinch. Fury combination, clinch. Big 1-2 by Fury, Wilder tries to answer in kind and gets clinched. Four-piece lands for Fury, who absorbs a 1-2. Long looping right stings Wilder. Uppercut from Fury, clinch. Another cuffing right on the ropes. Clinch. Wilder looking like he’s running out of steam. 10-9 Fury, 56-55 Wilder.
Round seven: Fury coming out aggressive, fires a 3-2 before tying up. Good right hand on the exit. 1-2 connects. Landing at close range on the ropes. Body shots, clinch uppercuts. 1-1-2 hurts Wilder and they tie up again. Wilder’s legs do not look good. Fury to the body against the ropes. Trading in the clinch. Clean 3-2 by Fury, who absorbs a 1-2. Fury cracks him with a looping right and pours it on, starting with an uppercut and continuing with swarming shots in the corner. Fury mugging him on the ropes. 10-9 Fury, 65-65.
Round eight: Fury continuing to press forward. Jabs upstairs, right cross, clinch. Hard right cross on the exit. Big shots in the corner. Wilder tries a 1-2, lands a jab. Fury stalking after him. Good left hand, then a 1-2 that stings Wilder once again. Halfway through. More right hands from Fury and Wilder really isn’t steady. Clinch. 1-2-right hook. Wilder still throwing back, to his credit. 1-2. Solid right hands landing for him but he’s very slow and unsteady on his feet. 10-9, 75-74 Fury.
Round nine: Good left hook lands for Fury. They trade jabs to the body. Fury digs a right downstairs, swats at him on the ropes. Good 1-2 from Wilder, tries to follow up, gets clinched. Fury lands a series of jabs. Trading lefts, then a heavy flurry from Fury halfway through the round. Lots of clinching. Wilder’s too gassed to deal real damage at this point. Fury walking through his shots, lands a combo on the ropes. Wilder comes back with an uppercut. 10-9, 85-83 Fury.
Round ten: Fury lands body shots in the clinch, then a clean 1-2. More heavy shots behind it as Wilder throws back. Fury outlanding him, tanking the return fire. Body shots. Halfway through the round. Wilder lands a body shot, but Fury responds with a brutal right hook that knocks him to his knees. Again Wilder beats the count without issue. Fury right back on the attack when they resume. Short-range power shots. Wilder looking for uppercuts, lands a right hand and gets stood up straight by a big uppercut form Fury. Now some heavy rights from Wilder in the final seconds as Fury calls him on. 10-8, 95-91 Fury.
Round eleven: Jab-uppercut-clinch by Fury. Wilder stumbling, crossing his feet. More right hands from Fury, right uppercuts. Fury battering him at point-blank and he finally puts Wilder down for good with an overhand right.
Final result: Fury def. Wilder by TKO
Heavyweight: Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez
Round one: Both men looking to jab early. Nobody landing clean early on. There’s a nice exchange. Halfway through. Things slow back down. Good shots from Sanchez near the ropes after eating a left hook. Both land jabs. 10-9 Sanchez, I suppose.
Round two: Ajagba advancing a bit more aggressively. Right hand downstairs. Jab to the body. Sanchez doubles up the jab. Halfway through. Good overhand right by Sanchez, best punch of the fight. Ajagba jabbing, Sanchez circling. Jabs from Sanchez. Ajagba right hand, clinch. Don’t even know how to score this round; it was terrible. 10-9, 20-18 Sanchez.
Round three: 1-1-2 from Sanchez. Ajagba looks for a right hand on the ropes. Ajagba still stalking forward. Overhand right connects for Sanchez. Sanchez jab, Ajagba cross. Another right lands for Ajagba, who follows with a jab downstairs. Halfway through. Jab exchange. Big overhand right from Sanchez, who looks to follow up with a combination. Ajagba lands a right cross into the clinch. Sharp jab by Sanchez. 10-9, 30-27 Sanchez.
Round four: Ajagba advancing, looking to jab. 1-2 up top, body shot. Clinch. Halfway through the round. Sanchez left hook, Ajagba counter right. Ajagba backs him to the corner and looks for right hands. Check hook lands for Sanchez. Ajagba to the body. 10-9 Ajagba, 39-37 Sanchez.
Round five: Early combo from Ajagba, 1-2 downstairs. Sanchez barely throwing anything these last couple round. Ajagba tries a 1-2, clinch. Halfway through the round. I’m not sure Sanchez has thrown a power punch this round. There’s a stiff jab at least. They trade in the center, left hand by Sanchez. Trading jabs. Sanchez overhand right. Clinch. 10-9, 49-46 Sanchez on the late work? Maybe? This fight sucks.
Round six: Jab lands for Sanchez. Ajagba tries one to the body. Right hand downstairs from Ajagba. Sanchez lands a counter right, clinch. Halfway through. Sanchez lands a jab. Overhand right attempt. Announcer has spent the last minute desperately claiming that this is a good fight. It’s not. Ajagba tries a 1-2, clinch. Right cross lands for Ajagba. Sanchez slips throwing a hook. 10-9, 59-55 Sanchez.
Round seven: There’s a good exchange on the ropes. Sanchez looks for a long right, lands jabs. Jab exchange. Halfway through. Hard counter two-piece lands for Sanchez. I am, without exaggeration, struggling to stay awake. As I say that, Sanchez blasts him with a right cross and follow-up shots that floor Ajagba. Sanchez lands an uppercut while Ajagba is down; the referee does a bizarre move of calling it a knockdown but not counting. 10-8, 69-63 Sanchez.
Round eight: Sanchez lands another counter right and follows up with heavy shots, including an uppercut. Ajagba eats these better and goes back to advancing. Halfway through. Ajagba tries to open up on the ropes. Ajagba cross, Sanchez counter right. Body shots from Ajagba. 10-9, 79-72 Sanchez.
Round nine: More of the same; Ajagba pushing forward, getting picked off whenever he tries to commit. Counter left lands for Sanchez halfway through. Brief technical difficulties. Now a good 1-2 lands for Ajagba. Sanchez pops him with a jab. 10-9, 89-81 Sanchez?
Round ten: Again, more of the same. Ajagba isn’t willing to go for broke and Sanchez is content to do only as much as necessary. Halfway through. Cuffing overhand lands for Sanchez. Ajagba fires a right cross. Clinch. I guess 10-9, 99-90 Sanchez. I could see a handful of rounds for Ajagba but Sanchez won this one.
Final result: Sanchez def. Ajagba by unanimous decision
Heavyweight: Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki
Round one: Helenius active early, cracks Kownacki with a clean left uppercut. Body shots from Kownacki, clinch. Both bang the body. Trading near the ropes, clinch. Helenius working behind his jab. Halfway through the round. Kownacki pushing forward, clinch. High-low combo, body shots on the fence. Combination from Helenius, good right hand. Clean right cross stings Kownacki again and Helenius is swinging for the finish. Nasty body shot, clean 1-2s on the ropes. One last 1-2 before the bell. 10-9 Helenius.
Round two: Kownacki back on the advance. Helenius moving well. Good body shot, clinch. Body shots from Kownacki, banging away on the ropes. Good short-range work near the corner. Continuing to close the distance and target the midsection. Halfway through. Clinch. More body shots, follows up upstairs. Helenius looking for long punches. Clinch. More body work by Kownacki, eats jabs in return. Helenius 1-2. Good body shot. Kownacki fighting through some major swelling around his left eye. 10-9 Kownacki, 19-19.
Round three: Kownacki continuing to push forward, trying to dig the body in the clinch. 1-2s, uppercut by Helenius. Right hand to the body. Kownacki advancing, targeting the body inside. Helenius clinching when he gets close. Halfway through the round. 2-3 by Helenius. Solid body shots by Kownacki. Helenius doing some solid potshotting this round. Clean 1-2 from southpaw wobbles Kownacki, who comes back with a low blow. 10-9, 29-28 Helenius.
Round four: More of the same; Kownacki marches in and tries to punish the body as Helenius looks to pick him off. Right cross and jab land for Kownacki on the ropes. Clean jabs by Helenius. Jab-uppercut. Solid shots off the back foot. Halfway through the round. Clean 1-2, heavy right hand to the body. Another 1-2. Kownacki seems afraid to enter the pocket. There’s some body work. Left hook by Helenius, right hand downstairs. Clubbing shots. 10-9, 39-37 Helenius.
Round five: Helenius’ footwork has been very solid so far, keeping him away from Kownacki’s pressure. Kownacki lands another low blow and loses a point for it. Nasty counter right lands for Helenius. Just nothing behind Kownacki’s punches and he walks into an uppercut. Big right hands from Helenius halfway through the round. Good uppercut. Kownacki looks mentally broken. Helenius teeing off at range. More right hands, clean uppercut. Heavy crosses, pouring it on. continuing to plug Kownacki with big shots. 10-8, 49-45 Helenius.
Round six: Helenius thumping him with his jab. Kownacki really doesn’t look like he wants to be here. Half-hearted body shots. Hard right downstairs from Helenius. Halfway through. Clinch. Helenius to the body again. Kownacki doing nothing this round; not punching, not pushing forward, just standing there and getting his ass kicked. There’s a bit of life from Kownacki, but he ends up landing yet another low blow and getting disqualified.
Final result: Helenius def. Kownacki by DQ (low blows)
Heavyweight: Jared Anderson vs. Vladimir Tereshkin
Round one: Anderson firing his jab, takes a counter left. Nasty jabs, clean right cross. Anderson landing to the body as well. Heavy counter right as Tereshkin ties up. Anderson clearly the faster of the two, landing jabs and crosses. Clinch. Tereshkin trying to throw with him. Halfway through. Hard body shots by Anderson. Tereshkin lands downstairs, ties up. Both bang the midsection. Anderson continuing to land the cleaner blows. Clinch from Tereshkin. Body shots answered in kind. Tereshkin eats body shots, lands a counter left. 10-9 Anderson.
Round two: Exchanging in center ring to start. Clinch. Good right hand from Anderson, who continues to exploit his speed advantage. Tereshkin lumbers in, lands to the body, clinches. Hard body shots from Anderson, who eats a counter left. Halfway through. Anderson landing sharp combinations, gets clinched. Tereshkin doing more clinching than clean punching. Anderson punishing the body against the fence, hurts him with a chopping right and looks to follow up in the corner. Clean 3-2 and the ref doesn’t like how Tereshkin reacts, so he stops it.
Final result: Anderson def. Tereshkin by TKO
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