In the 11th round, Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder to keep his WBC and lineal Heavyweight titles. Michael Rothstein, Ben Baby, and Brett Okamoto react to the impressive performances by heavyweights and the prospect who has learned a valuable lesson.
After the conclusion of the Tyson Fury/Deontay Wilder trilogy's second chapter, I recall asking Andre Ward about Wilder’s contractual right for a third fight. Specifically, should he use it? He had the right to another fight. But was that even the best thing? Ward said that Wilder shouldn't have to fight him. After the mental and physical beating Wilder received that night, Ward should probably end the third fight.
Ward even said that Wilder would be "shattered psychologically" after the second bout.
You know what? It looked almost like Ward was right for the past 19 months. Wilder made so many excuses. The costume's weight. Fury's gloves. Fury's gloves.
The fight began, with Fury knocking Wilder down in round three. There was definitely a feeling of... Wow. Wilder is out. Boxing was done.
The fourth round was over. Wilder knocked Fury down twice, despite looking tired and unable to stand. This set the stage for the most exciting fight in 2021. Although he lost almost every round except the first and fourth, he stunned Fury multiple times with his right hand throughout the fight and was given the chance he claimed was taken from him in 2019, the right to take the shield. It will be interesting to see if Wilder regrets his punches in the two previous fights. But for now, he wanted to be able to leave in the way he wanted. The boxing world got a great fight for that right.
Deontay Wester was knocked down three more times by Tyson Fury in a KO. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
What's the next step for Wilder? It's tempting to repeat what Ward said two-years ago right after the fight. It is tempting to think he has done. As good as Saturday's fight, and as sincere as Fury's remarks about him being the best heavyweight in the country right now, it's easy for Wilder to doubt his ability to recover from this. Wilder just took a lot of damage in two fights and it has been proven many times that an opponent can survive the devastating right-hand missile.
Wilder's heartfelt performance on Saturday has given him the benefit of doubt. It was remarkable that he could still stand in the sixth round. It would be a good idea to match him with the loser in an anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Uzyk and Anthony Joshua.
There was no guarantee that Saturday's final chapter would be a success. Wilder made certain it was. Okamoto
Which is the greatest challenge Tyson Fury faces in moving forward?
Tyson Fury is now uncertain about his future after he won the tri-final fight against Deontay wilder. However, no heavyweight fighter seems to be a threat to him. Al Bello/Getty Images
Coppinger: Who can really beat The Gypsy King, then?
He is 6'9". He is able to box off his back foot as he demonstrated in his 2015 upset victory over Wladimir Klitschko and in his 2018 draw against Wilder. Fury also showed that he is capable of winning under constant pressure, as he did with his wins over Wilder. Fury used bullying tactics in those fights and used his enormous frame to support his opponent and drain Wilder's energy through inside fighting.
Fury said, "This, tonight was one of my biggest wins." Fury said, "I'm definitely the biggest dog in this division. 277 pounds makes me the heavyweight champion in heavyweight. "I believe I can beat any man in history. Any man born, I believe, has a good chance of beating me." ... All you have to do is knock me out of my spark, and if that fails, you won't win.
Fury may just be starting, but he could also be lacking a worthy challenger.
Dillian Whyte has waited long for Fury's shot, and if he can defeat Otto Wallin Oct. 30, it is likely that the WBC will schedule a fight between Fury & Whyte early next year. The win Saturday was Fury's first defense of his title, despite him having won three titles against Klitschko in 2015. He then beat Wilder 2020.
The bigger fight would be against ESPN’s No. Oleksandr Usyk, Oleksandr Uzyk, 2 heavyweight -- the former undisputed champion in cruiserweight who defeated Anthony Joshua in September.
Joshua lost to Usyk in his third fight at heavyweight. Although he was outweighed, Usyk used speed and beautiful footwork to defeat his opponent. Joshua will be his opponent in the spring rematch after he exercised his rematch clause Saturday.
Fury could fight Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title if Usyk wins. It's difficult to imagine Usyk defeating Fury. It is difficult to imagine anyone who could defeat Fury.
Jared Anderson, a hopeful heavyweight boxer, has taken another step forward
Jared Anderson (above) scores the 10th KO in his career with a victory in round two over Vladimir Tereshkin. AP Photo/Chase Stevens
Rothstein: Jared Anderson, Rothstein's sparring partner, stated that he could one day fight Tyson Fury. Although it's still a long way off -- possibly years away -- the 21-year old they call "Big Baby" made huge steps Saturday in the right direction.
Anderson was up against Vladimir Tereshkin, and he has defeated all of his opponents. Tereshkin was undefeated but had not fought in nearly two years. Anderson won the fight. Anderson used his skills to exploit this advantage. Anderson injured Tereshkin during the first round. He then completely destroyed Tereshkin by the middle round. The referee ended the fight.
Anderson was confident going in, and should have more confidence now. Anderson did exactly what was expected of him, which is more than the fighters on the undercard and in less time that people thought.
"My confidence is high. I believe I can get past him in the next three fights. Anderson recently stated that this could happen. It's not feasible, Anderson said. "It's not practical building, how they want me to build my age, and everything. But I know what type of fighter I am, and being there with the current champion, and getting the praise that we have, let's me know that I'm ready.
It's going to be the same stepping stones as all champions. It was definitely something I could see."
No. 1 was the stepping stone On Saturday, Fury-Wilder III's undercard card featured stepping stone No. 1. Fighting Fury is not an option. Nor is it for Frank Sanchez, who had a strong performance in a win over previously-undefeated Efe Ajagba on Saturday night, too.
Anderson was able to be on this undercard, which put him in the same conversation as promising young heavyweights who are on the rise -- though as a younger option. He was able to build his reputation by having an audience.
Anderson gets it. Anderson understands that it is a long process. Anderson's fight on Saturday night looks like Anderson is the long-term hope for the heavyweight division.
Robert Helenius is a contender?
Robert Helenius (R), defeated Adam Kownacki easily on the Fury-Wilder 3 undercard. Etienne Laurent/EPA
Baby: Robert Helenius was so impressive on Saturday night, that Adam Kownacki wanted to end the night earlier than he could. Kownacki used a series low blows to force Celestino Ruiz, the referee, to stop the rematch. Kownacki initially stated in the ring that it was a disqualification. Helenius won the fight by TKO. This raised a crucial question: Is Helenius a legitimate heavyweight contender?
The short and simple answer is "no."
Yes, Helenius (31-3-3, 19 KOs), looked great against Kownacki. But Kownacki could not manage Helenius' power, reach, and absolute confidence that they were going to win. Kownacki was not able to handle all that.
Helenius, a 37-year old, doesn't have any real quality performances on his record. In July 2019, he was defeated by Gerald Washington, a journeyman (who, by coincidence, beat Washington via second-round TKO six months earlier). Helenius was also defeated by Dillian Whyte in 2017 but it was a close decision.
This is not to say Helenius can't be watched, as he is. Saturday's performance may have been due to a good matchup. It is hard to believe that Helenius, at his age and in his career, could be capable of more impressive outings against elite competition.
Edgar Berlanga won't win it all.
Marcelo Esteban Costaceres (R), knocked Edgar Berlanga (L), in their fight at the Fury-Wilder 3-undercard. Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
Rothstein: Edgar Berlanga might have won Saturday's 168-pound bout against Marcelo Esteban Coceres, with all three judges giving the fight 96-93. He lost what made him one the most fascinating fighters, his veneer of invincibility.
This could prove to be a positive for Berlanga over the long-term, but it is only one fight. There are still reasons to wonder about Berlanga. Perhaps the Berlanga Express to a possible title fight should take a break for a while. He was tested against Coceres for the first time. It feels like it was a lifetime ago that he had 16 consecutive first round knockouts to kickstart his career.
Saturday saw the fall of only one man -- Berlanga, for the first time in his professional career.
Don't get me wrong. Berlanga was not completely disappointed by the outcome. Berlanga, who was beaten by 16 KO, has the advantage of being only 24 years old. He can still be a future star, despite this disappointing fight.
Berlanga might be shaken by this fight and realizes that he must be sharper when he takes on more competition. Berlanga might have been knocked out by a fighter who had more power.
Coceres (30-3-1-16 KO) was a tough target for Berlanga. He moved and looked faster than Berlanga at times. Berlanga displayed patience and a chin, something we didn't know before because he had only 16 rounds in his 17 previous fights.
Berlanga still has some things to do, but now he has a tough fight to watch and learn from. This is what fights like Saturday should do. It was a challenge for Berlanga, even though it didn't result in a knockdown or any damage. This was only the first of many.
