KEY POINTS

  • Deontay Wilder loses to Tyson Fury via round 7 TKO
  • Wilder's corner threw in the towel
  • WIlder's trainer insisted it was not his decision to surrender the fight

Deontay Wilder was livid as he approached his corner following a seventh-round TKO loss against Tyson Fury in their rematch on Saturday at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The American champion appeared frustrated and started barking at his team after referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to put an end to the overwhelming punishment he was receiving. Shortly after the fight, Wilder’s trainer Jay Deas disclaimed the sudden turn of events inside the ring, saying the decision to concede the fight was not his.

Greg Rosenstein of the Athletic said that if it had been for Deas, he would have wished Wilder kept on fighting till he says he was done. He then revealed that it was Mark Breland, a co-trainer, who decided to raise the white flag.

“Deontay Wilder's trainer, Jay Deas, says he would not have thrown in the towel in the seventh round. Mark Breland was the one who did it and he disagreed with the decision,” wrote Rosenstein.

“Mark threw the towel,” Deas said. “I didn’t think he should have. Deontay’s the kind of guy that’s a ‘go out on his shield’ kind of guy. You’ve always got to consider, also, that Deontay is a fearsome puncher, so that’s always a difficult thing, because he does always have that shot to land a big shot and turn things around.”

Wilder’s corner threw in the towel late in the round as the American champion got tagged while offering no answers to Fury’s barrage of punches. He was then seen asking his team, “Why did you do that?” insisting that he still wanted to continue the fight. At the post-fight interview, even Wilder was not sure who really pulled the trigger to succumb the battle that marked his first-ever career loss in 44 professional fights.

“My trainer. My coach. My side threw in the towel. And you know I’m ready to go on my shield, man. You know what I’m saying?” a frustrated Wilder said. “I had a lot of things going on heading into this fight. It is what it is, but I make no excuses tonight.”

“I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield. I'm a warrior,” he insisted.

British boxer Tyson Fury, right, knocks American Deontay Wilder down before stopping him in the seventh round during their World Boxing Council heavyweight championship fight in front of a crowd of 15,800 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
British boxer Tyson Fury, right, knocks American Deontay Wilder down before stopping him in the seventh round during their World Boxing Council heavyweight championship fight in front of a crowd of 15,800 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas AFP / Mark RALSTON
Boxing