Tyson Fury (29-0-1) and Deontay Wilder (42-0-1) met for a second time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday February 22, 2020.
If their first fight – a draw in Los Angeles in December 2018 – had a controversial outcome which was in doubt right until the end, the rematch was nowhere near as close.
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Fury dominated proceedings right from the start to register a crushing seventh-round TKO victory, and in the process hand Wilder the first defeat of his professional career. He also ended the evening as the World Boxing Council (WBC), Ring magazine and lineal heavyweight champion of the world.
Fury, co-promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotion and Bob Arum’s Top Rank, went into the bout with a new team in his corner as Kronk disciples Javan ‘SugarHill’ Steward (nephew of the great Emanuel Steward) and Andy Lee replaced Ben Davison.
Wilder meanwhile, promoted by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), again had Jay Deas and Mark Breland heading up his corner.
Most bookmakers had the fight very close in the run-up to the bout, with some making Wilder a very slight favourite and others having them dead level in terms of odds.
Referee for the bout was Kenny Bayless and judges (who in the end were not needed) were Glenn Feldman, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld.
Not surprisingly for a huge world heavyweight championship bout in Las Vegas, the event brought the stars out in force with the likes of Mike Tyson, Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, Magic Johnson and Stephanie McMahon just some of the big names in attendance.
Fury vs Wilder 2 results and report
This eagerly-awaited rematch drew a sellout crowd of 15,816 to the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, paying a record live gate for a heavyweight bout of almost $17million.
And Fury surprised most of them by coming out in much more aggressive style than he did in the first meeting, and dominating centre ring from the off. He proved that not only can he box, but he can also punch, as he began to do damage to Wilder’s features from the very early going with some punishing shots.
The first round was easy for Fury with a stiff jab paving the way for him to load up with straight right hands, and it was one of those which stiffened the legs of ‘The Bronze Bomber’ late in round 2.
Wilder was in major trouble late in third as Fury dropped him for the first time with a left hand followed by a right hook as just over 30 seconds remained in the session. Wilder somehow made it to the end of the round on unsteady legs, but staggered back to his corner clearly dazed and with blood streaming from his left ear.
Deontay was on the deck again in round 4 but it was ruled no knockdown by Bayless. Despite that reprieve it was again all Fury as he outmuscled as well as outboxed the defending WBC champion.
Fury was quickly on the front foot again in the fifth as he hurt Wilder almost immediately with yet another powerful right hand, and he registered his second knockdown of the night soon after with a body shot just over a minute into the session. As the round ended, Wilder looked not only physically spent, but mentally befuddled by what was facing him.
It appeared now just a matter of time before Fury applied the coup de grace and a big left late in the sixth had Wilder tottering on unsteady legs again as the round finished.
The end would finally come in the seventh, when Fury pinned Wilder in the corner with just over a minute remaining and began to load up, firing a straight right through Wilder’s guard which hit home powerfully. By now Wilder’s corner had seen enough and Breland threw in the towel to save their man from further punishment.
In the weeks following the fight Wilder would come up with a number of excuses for his defeat, including the weight of his elaborate ring walk costume and a bicep injury which would later require surgery. But nothing could take away the sheer dominant manner of Fury’s victory.
Fury vs Wilder 2 scorecards
The scorecards for the first meeting between Fury and Wilder were highly controversial, but they were nothing of the sort for the rematch.
Fury was way ahead on all three cards at the time of the stoppage, with Moretti and Weisfeld both giving him every round while Feldman gave Wilder only the second round.
Round 3 was a 10-8 round for Fury courtesy of the first knockdown, and the second knockdown in round 5 ensured he still won that session despite being deducted a point by Bayless for throwing a punch after being told to break.
Cards at the time of the stoppage read 59-52 twice and 58-53.
Not surprisingly Compubox stats also showed dominance by Fury as he led 82-34 in total punches landed, and scored with 58 power shots in just seven rounds, having landed only 38 in the entirety of the first meeting.
Fury vs Wilder 2 TV and PPV
There were high hopes for Fury vs Wilder 2 with the might of both US broadcast juggernauts ESPN and Fox behind the promotion.
The bout was a joint pay-per-view with Fury entering the third bout of an £80million five-fight deal with ESPN, and Wilder’s PBC having a broadcast partnership with Fox.
Arum even talked of the possibility that the fight would draw 2million buys, which would have put it among the highest-grossing bouts in boxing history.
In the end – perhaps thanks to Arum’s pre-fight hyperbole – the final figure of 850,000 buys felt slightly disappointing but it obviously outperformed the first fight considerably. The fight did also draw 300,000 further views via digital streaming services.
BT Sport Box Office again showed the pay-per-view in the UK, while after the fight there were reports of the extent to which piracy hit the size of the global paying audience. VFT Solutions claimed around 10million people watched the bout on illegal streaming websites.
Fury vs Wilder 2 purses
According to details filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), both fighters were guaranteed base purses of $5million each – but that only tells a small part of the story.
Both had considerable upside based on the eventual pay-per-view revenues and according to Forbes 2020 list of the highest-paid athletes – revealed in May – neither did too badly in the final reckoning.
According to Forbes, Fury eventually took home $26million (more than £20million) for his night’s work, while Wilder racked up $25million – the highest payday of his career to date.
Fury vs Wilder weights
The weigh-in was a fascinating clue as to what might happen on fight night as Fury – ready to be more aggressive and really use his physical advantages – came in at 273lbs (19st 7lbs) – some 17lbs heavier than for the first meeting and the third heaviest of his career.
Wilder meanwhile also came in significantly heavier (by 19lbs) than for the first bout as he tipped the scales at 231lbs (16st 7lbs) – the heaviest of his career to date.
