Late in the 10th round of their heavyweight title fight Saturday, Tyson Fury floored Deontay Wilder with a clubbing right hand to the jaw, and the end of their brawl seemed imminent. But Wilder climbed off the canvas and spent the late stages of the round landing heavy punches as Fury covered up.
When a fighter goes down, judges generally score the round 10-8, in favor of the fighter who scored the knockdown, but Wilder’s comeback compelled one judge to score the round 10-9 for Fury.
By then, Fury, a 205-cm, 126-kg champion from Manchester, England, looked tired, leaning on Wilder during clinches and breathing heavily in breaks in the action. And Wilder, a 201-cm, 108-kg former champion from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, appeared exhausted, wilting under Fury’s weight and relentless attack.