LAS VEGAS — The late, great Kobe Bryant once said, "Job's not finished."
Well, Tyson Fury finished the job.
Emphatically.
Fury retained his WBC heavyweight championship with an 11th round knockout against Deontay Wilder in an epic clash that will certainly lead the pack in Fight of the Year conversations.
But it wasn't without some intense drama. Fury had to survive two knockdowns in the fourth round and a wounded animal who refused to stop punching to get the finish in an utterly insane battle between heavyweight rivals.
HALE: It's time to discuss Tyson Fury's place among the greatest heavyweights
After over a year of back and forth, with some bizarre excuses by Wilder following his knockout loss to Fury last February, the two finally finished the trilogy and gave the 15,820 in attendance at T-Mobile Arena a show straight out of a Rocky movie.
Fury started off fast and scored a knockdown in the third round with a right hand. It appeared that fans were getting a replay of their second fight until the fourth round when Wilder landed his vaunted right hand that put The Gypsy King down. Fury would get to his feet and was sent to the canvas a second time with a left hook. It appeared that Wilder would pull off the comeback but Fury would not be denied on this night.
Wilder looked completely exhausted but remained dangerous even as Fury used his size to wear Wilder down and landed hard punches that could have ended the fight at any moment. Wilder's heart was bigger than the state of Texas and he kept punching, occasionally buzzing Fury with his incredible power.
Ultimately, Fury wore Wilder down and dropped him in the 10th round. Wilder continued to fight back in the 11th but Fury met him with a right hand that caused The Bronze Bomber to crash to the canvas face first in a heap. There was no need to count and the fight was halted at the 1:10 mark.
Here's how it all went down.
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 highlights
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 results
Round 1 (12:00 a.m.): Wilder goes right at Fury with a body jab. He’s going to the body often early. Lands a right hand. More jabs to the body. Setting up his shots. Fury waiting and reading. Wilder is committed to the body. Fury starts pressing forward. Left hook lands by Wilder. Right hand behind the jab by Wilder. He looks sharp so far. Wilder backs Fury into the ropes and lands. Fury bounces back with a left hand. Right hand down the middle by Fury. He crushes Wilder with a right hand at the end of the round. 10-9 Wilder
Round 2 (12:03 a.m.): Fury lands a jab and a right hand. Wilder goes back to the body. If Wilder isn’t careful, Fury is going to go over that body jab with a right hand. Fury scrapes Wilder with a left hand and leans on him along the ropes. Wilder lands a right and Fury gives back two punches to the grill. Fury working the body on the inside. 10-9 Fury (19-19)
Round 3 (12:07 a.m.): Fury moving forward more now. Using the jab. Wilder walks in and eats a left hand. And another. Fury bulls into him. Left hand by Wilder. Wilder looking for the right hand and eats a hard jab. Wilder lands the right hand. Big shot that Fury takes well. Left hand by Fury rocks Wilder. Wilder comes back with a right. And another! Big shots from both. Fury CREAMS Wilder and down he goes!!! Wilder is up and his legs are a mess! Fury cracks him with a right hand and an uppercut. Wilder is in trouble! The round ends. 10-8 Fury (29-27 Fury)
Round 4 (12:11 a.m.): Combination by Fury and he backs Wilder into the ropes. Lands a combination. Wilder trying to fight back but the energy is being sapped out of him. Left hand by Fury lands. Wilder looks dead tired. Right hand by Fury to the temple. Wilder needs a home run. Fury slams a combination into Wilder. Right hand by Wilder and Fury is down!!! Fury is up to his feet! Holy moly. This fight has gone nuts. They are brawling. Fury fires back. Left by Wilder and down goes Fury again!!! The round ends. My goodness. 10-7 Wilder (37-36 Wilder)
Round 5 (12:15 a.m.): Wilder is on fire now and chasing Fury down. Fury with a hard jab. Wilder rolls in and barely misses a right hand. Fury SMOKES Wilder with a right hand and he’s hurt again! Hard jab by Fury. Wilder nails Fury with a right hand. Here comes Wilder. They both throw and barely miss. The world moved an inch off its axis. Hard right hand by Fury. Wilder takes it well this time. 10-9 Fury (46-46)
Round 6 (12:20 a.m.): Fury jabs his way in. Wilder goes to the body. Wilder unloads but misses. Left and right hand by Fury. They clinch. Wilder fires a right hand that barely misses. Fury thumps Wilder with a combination. Fury is feeling himself again. Lands a left hook. Wilder right down the middle with a right hand. 10-9 Fury (56-55 Fury)
Round 7 (12:24 a.m.): Wilder starts moving around and flicking the jab. Fury cuts him off and lands a left hand and a left hook turns Wilder’s head around. They clinch again and Fury is using his weight to tire Wilder. Wilder is trying the same entry punch but Fury seems to have sniffed it out. Fury lands a hard right hand that has Wilder’s legs a mess. Fury leans in and goes to the body. Right hand rocks Wilder. Fury SMOKES Wilder with a combination. Wilder nearly goes down. Fury smells blood and is after Wilder. Fury lands a combination again but Wilder stays upright. 10-9 Fury (66-64 Fury)
Round 8 (12:28 a.m.): Fury jabs to the body. Wilder is backing up. Wilder’s body language is terrible. Fury nails him with a right hand. I’m not sure what’s keeping Wilder up. Left hand lights Wilder up. Fury lands a right and Wilder nearly skips out of the ring. Fury has a wounded animal in front of him and clobbers him with another right hand. Fury is starching Wilder. Wilder is swinging out of desperation. Right hand lands by Wilder. Fury spins out and lands a jab. Wilder looks cooked. 10-9 Fury (76-73 Fury)
Round 9 (12:32 a.m.): Wilder having a hard time getting off the stool to start round 9. A doctor checks on him. Fury is bouncing around and fresh. Left hook by Fury lands. Body shot. Wilder lands and buzzes Fury. This is crazy. He won’t go away. Double jab by Fury. Left hook rocks Wilder. Fury lands a hard combination. How is Wilder still on his feet? Wilder is hanging on. Fury lands a left but Wilder is still punching. Fury lands a five punch combination. Uppercut by Wilder hurts Fury at the end of the round. Wow! 10-9 Fury (86-82 Fury)
Round 10 (12:36 a.m.): Fury tears into Wilder with another combination that ends with a left hook. Wilder is trying to muster up one more big swing. Fury is smothering him on the ropes. Fury KILLS Wilder with a right hand! Down he goes. He’s already up! Whoa. Wilder is getting destroyed. The heart on Wilder is incredible. Uppercut by Fury nearly sends Wilder’s brain out of his head. Wilder swings like a madman and connects! Fury says bring it as the round ends. 10-8 Fury (96-90 Fury)
Round 11 (12:39 a.m.): Fury smacks Wilder with an uppercut. Right hand by Fury and Wilder bends backward. He’s a mess and Fury is just bouncing punches off of him. Wilder won’t stop throwing. Fury one punch and Wilder is face down on the canvas. It’s OVER!!!!
Frank Sanchez gets decision Efe Ajagaba in a snoozer
Scores: 97-92, 98-91 & 98-91
11:09 p.m.: No, it wasn't fun. Ajagba didn't throw enough and Sanchez countered a lot. That is all.
10:54 p.m.: And down goes Ajagba to one knee after a right hand and Sanchez lights him up while he’s down in the eighth. Oh man, that’s bad. Ajagba gets up but this could have ended in a DQ if Ajagba didn't get up.
10:51 p.m.: If you're wondering why there haven't been any updates in what is supposed to be an exciting heavyweight fight, it's because there has been no excitement through seven rounds. Not a single ounce of excitement. It's not fun. At all. The punch stats are even so it's very difficult to tell who the judges see winning.
10:36 p.m.: Well, if you were looking for excitement, this fight has yet to deliver through two rounds. Both seem to want to ramp up the activity. And just like that, Sanchez slams a right hand into the face of Ajagba. But Ajagba took it well and is coming forward. Three rounds down and it's heating up.
10:25 p.m.: The co-main event is up now with Frank Sanchez facing the hard-hitting Efe Ajagba. Again, expect someone to get knocked out.
Robert Helenius dominates Adam Kownacki, stops him in seventh
10:09 p.m.: Well, that's all she wrote. Kownacki continued to hit Helenius low and the referee stepped in to disqualify him. Or, at least that's what it looked like. After a low blow, the referee pulled him aside and stopped the fight. It's ruled a TKO at the 2:38 mark. I guess? Very strange ending.
10:04 p.m.: This is terribly one-sided. Kownacki ate a brutal amount of punishment and offered little to return in the sixth round. His corner might have to make a decision sooner than later to save their fighter from absorbing more damage.
9:55 p.m.: It's not looking good for Kownacki after three rounds. He's getting hit whenever he rolls forward and has yet to land anything of significance while his eye is swelling in a hurry. Kownacki gets nailed with a hard two-punch combination and stumbles back late in the third. He responds by hitting Helenius directly in the low-hanging fruit. Maybe that's his only chance.
9:45 p.m.: Helenius cracks Kownacki hard with a combination to open the fight. I don’t know if Kownacki thought he had a bad night before but he better get on his game. Helenius just rocked Kownacki with a hard right hand. He’s beating him up in the first round. Yikes.
9:40 p.m.: Up next is Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki. Kownacki was knocked out in the fourth round last March in a massive upset. Kownacki is seeking revenge but Hellenius isn’t here for it.
Jared Anderson dusts Vlad Tereshkin in two rounds
9:30 p.m.: Well, that didn't take long. After a feeling out round, Anderson put his foot on the gas and pounced on Tereshkin. A barrage of punches left Tereshkin defenseless and the stoppage came at 2:51. That's how you do what you're supposed to do.
9:10 p.m.: We're kicking off the PPV with Jared Anderson vs. Vlad Tereshkin. Anderson is 9-0 with 9 knockouts and many see him as a future champion. Will he prove that he's on his way with his performance tonight? He's a 12-1 favorite. Expect a knockout.
9:06 p.m.: The all-heavyweight PPV card is about to begin. Jared Anderson vs. Vlad Tereshkin, Robert Hellenius vs. Adam Kownacki, Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez and, finally, Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder.
Edgar Berlanga survives knockdown to win unanimous decision
Scores: 96-93, 96-93 & 96-93
8:58 p.m.: This fight goes the distance. Berlanga should get the win but there's going to be a lesson learned moving forward and his team better plug the holes in his game before a better fighter gets to him.
8:52 p.m: Coceres just knocked Berlanga down with a short right hand to the temple! Whoa. Berlanga’s up and Coceres jumps on him. Berlanga is saved by the bell. Uh oh. One round left.
8:49 p.m.: So if you’re trying to figure out what this means for Berlanga and his power, Coceres was knocked out by Billy Joe Saunders in 2019. Saunders was never known as a big puncher. Berlanga needs to set up his power better. He still has the ninth and tenth round to finish Coceres but he hasn't had him in any serious trouble yet.
8:39 p.m.: Coceres cracks Berlanga with a blistering two punch combination in the sixth round that briefly wobbles the undefeated fighter. This is happening because Berlanga is actively trying to get the knockout and leaving himself open to counters. He's still winning this fight pretty handily but a better fighter will take full advantage of this if he's not careful.
8:31 p.m.: The first-round knockout threat of Berlanga seems to have disappeared with the step up in competition but he's still winning this fight with Coceres pretty handily through 4 rounds.
8:17 p.m.: We're ringside for Fury-Wilder 3 and knockout artist Edgar Berlanga is looking to add another body to is growing graveyard of boxing corpses. Can Marcelo Esteban Coceres survive?
Fury vs. Wilder 3 start time
- Event start: 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT
- PPV main card: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT
- PPV main event: 11 p.m. ET | 9 p.m. PT (approx.)
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 will take place Saturday, Oct. 9. Coverage will begin with a preshow at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the undercard at 7:30 p.m. ET. The pay-per-view main card is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET. Expect Fury and Wilder to make their ring walks for the main event between 11 p.m. and midnight ET.
How to watch Fury vs. Wilder 3
- TV channel: ESPN, Fox Sports 1
- Live stream (PPV): ESPN+, Fox Sports app
- PPV price: $79.99
The preshow and preliminary bouts are available on ESPN2 and Fox Sports 1. At 8 p.m. ET, the undercard will continue on ESPN and FS1.
The Fury vs. Wilder 3 main card is an ESPN+/Fox joint pay-per-view. It costs $79.99 and can be live streamed through the Fox Sports app and ESPN+.
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
Fury vs. Wilder 3 fight card
Main card
- Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder for Fury's WBC and lineal heavyweight titles
- Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez; 10 rounds, heavyweights
- Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki; 12 rounds, heavyweights
- Jared Anderson vs. Vladimir Tereshkin; eight rounds, heavyweights
Undercard
- Edgar Berlanga vs. Marcelo Esteban Coceres; 10 rounds, super middleweights
- Julian Williams vs. Vladimir Hernandez; 10 rounds, junior middleweights
Preliminary card
- Robeisy Ramirez vs. Orlando Gonzalez; 10 rounds, featherweights
- Viktor Faust vs. Mike Marshall; eight rounds, heavyweights
- Bruce Carrington vs. Cesar Cantu; four rounds, featherweights
- Elvis Rodriguez vs. Victor Vazquez; eight rounds, junior welterweights
