Fury vs. Wilder III: Fight Report
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on 10th October, 2021: https://www.thefightcity.com/fight-report-fury-vs-wilder-iii-boxing/
When a world heavyweight title fight delivers all it promises to be, the drama is unparalleled. There have been great heavyweight trilogies in the past: together, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier carved their names into history during the sport’s golden era, and more recently Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe fought three epic battles in the 1990s. It is no exaggeration to say that Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s trilogy, and the instant classic they delivered last night, will sit alongside these and so many other great rivalries of the past. You really couldn’t ask for more, or expect two men to give more of themselves, in a boxing match. Read more
Fury vs. Wilder III: Repeat or Revenge?
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on 8th October, 2021: https://www.thefightcity.com/fury-vs-wilder-repeat-or-revenge-boxing/
It was almost six years ago that Tyson Fury travelled to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and clambered into the ring to confront Deontay Wilder, after “the Bronze Bomber’s” emphatic KO of Artur Szpilka. Fresh off his title win over Wladimir Klitschko, a fired-up Fury grabbed the microphone to call out his rival belt holder.
“Anytime, anyplace, anywhere!… I’ll beat you, ya bum! You’re a bum!” yelled Fury, as Showtime’s Jim Gray struggled to regain control of the situation.
“I don’t play this… This ain’t wrestling, this ain’t the WWE… I promise you: when you step in this ring, I will baptize you!” retorted Wilder. Read more
Pacquiao vs. Ugas: Fight Report
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on 22nd August, 2021: https://www.thefightcity.com/fight-report-pacquiao-vs-ugas-boxing/
The well had to run dry sooner or later. Finally, for Manny Pacquiao, it did. The Filipino great made all the right noises and looked the part in the gym in the lead up to his latest PPV headline event, but under the lights where it mattered the body could no longer go where the mind willed it to be.
Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano: Fight Report
An edited version of this article was originally published on TheFightCity.com on 18th July, 2021: https://www.thefightcity.com/fight-report-charlo-vs-castano-boxing/
Undisputed champions are a rarity in boxing, and the feat is only getting harder to accomplish with the proliferation of titles. After Bernard Hopkins became the first man to unify boxing’s “Big Four” sanctioning belts in 2004 and Jermain Taylor’s brief stint following Hopkins, we had to wait 12 long years before another fighter achieved the same status. Since 2017 we’ve been treated to a relative deluge of four-belt mega fights though, as first Terence Crawford, then Oleksandr Usyk, Teofimo Lopez (the WBC Franchise nonsense notwithstanding), and Josh Taylor were each crowned as undisputed kings of their division.
Tyson Fury TKO7 Deontay Wilder: 2020 Performance of the Year
An edited version of this article was originally published on TheFightCity.com on 8th January, 2021: https://www.thefightcity.com/2020-performance-of-the-year-tyson-fury-boxing/
After a nail-biting finish to their first encounter in December 2018, which saw Tyson Fury largely outbox Deontay Wilder before having to twice peel himself off the canvas only to earn a draw, the stage was set for another finely balanced contest in their February rematch. Logic seemed to indicate one of two likely outcomes: either Fury would outbox his undefeated rival again, only this time avoid getting clipped like in the first fight and so take a clear decision, or else Wilder’s wrecking ball right hand would find Fury’s chin again, only this time he wouldn’t get off the deck. Read more
Matt O'Brien
Boxing Philosophy 