Tyson Fury thanked his trainer for getting him through the most challenging night of his career so far as Deontay Wilder admitted rough tactics worked on him.
Following an eleven-round war that will go down in the history books of the heavyweight division, Fury stopped Wilder for the second time in succession.
This time, and unlike the second, Wilder was allowed to go out on his shield. That’s how he wanted it all along.
In the aftermath, Fury gave credit to Sugarhill Steward for giving him the advice to see out the victory.
“As the great John Wayne said, iron and steel, baby,” Fury said. “I give God the glory for the victory.
“[Wilder] is a tough man. He took some big shots tonight. And I want to say that if it weren’t for SugarHill, America, and Detroit’s own, I wouldn’t have gotten through that fight tonight.
“He said, ‘get your jab working, big guy. Throw that right hand down the middle. That’s how the big dogs do it.'”
Wilder, who is now without a win in two years due to the pandemic and Fury’s tenaciousness, gave his opponent some props.
“I did my best. But it wasn’t good enough,” said Wilder. “I’m not sure what happened.
“I know that in training, he did certain things. I also knew that he didn’t come in at 277 to be a ballet dancer.
“He came to lean on me, try to rough me up, and he succeeded.”
DEONTAY WILDER NEXT MOVE
Talk of a fourth fight is on hold, if it ever happens, as Fury heads towards mandatory Dillian Whyte and both men contemplate possible retirements.
Options are available for Wilder should he want to continue as a Pay Per View fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. was already in the pipeline before the Fury trilogy.
For now, the two warriors deserve a break before they think about the next step after ending their feud in the ring and with bad blood until the bitter end.
