Fury can't explain how he got back up after heavy knockdown

Tyson Fury was unable to explain how he got back to his feet after the heavy 12th-round knockdown by Deontay Wilder that appeared to have left him unconscious.
Deontay Wilder sends Tyson Fury to the floor. Picture: Esther Lin / Showtime.Deontay Wilder sends Tyson Fury to the floor. Picture: Esther Lin / Showtime.
Deontay Wilder sends Tyson Fury to the floor. Picture: Esther Lin / Showtime.

The WBC heavyweight title challenger could not have been closer to defeat when Wilder landed a heavy left-right combination at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Fury somehow found the strength to return to his feet and even ended the fight on top as he and Wilder fought to a thrilling and controversial draw, one which essentially makes an immediate rematch inevitable. Fury’s success in out-boxing his American opponent and resisting his remarkable power would make him the favourite in those circumstances, and the 30-year-old said: “I don’t know how I got up.

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“I had a holy hand upon me, that brought me back, and I’ve got a fighting spirit and I never say die, I get back up.

“Even in the 12th round when I got knocked down heavy, I got back up and probably won the round, fought back and wobbled him a bit.

“I was brought back. I rose to my feet from the brink of defeat. I can’t tell you (how I did it) because I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. That round should probably have been a draw. It was a great fight.

“I thought I won. But two men tried their guts out. I’m not going to scream ‘robbery’.

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“I’m not going to take anything from Wilder. (He’s a) great fighter, a hell of a champion. He kept coming all night.

“A year ago I was 400lbs and in terrible shape. I was so, so terrible.

“Two-and-a-half years out of the ring, living like a rock star, and a very low time.

“I fought back from suicide, (bad) mental health, anxiety, and I wanted more than anything to show the world that it can be done. Anything’s possible with the right mindset.

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“I’m the lineal champion of the world, I ain’t just going to stay down because I got punched in the face and knocked back down. I’m not the champion for nothing.

“Every time the lineal champion has come back from years out he’s been destroyed, so I set a precedent.

“It was a great experience in my journey in life.”