“DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Tyson Fury ushered in a new era of heavyweight boxing with a shock unanimous points decision over Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday,” ESPN reported on November 28, 2015. At the Esprit Arena, “Fury lifted the WBA, IBF and WBO titles,” “ending Klitschko’s reign of nine years and six months,” and became “Britain’s first world heavyweight champion since” David Haye.
But “Fury never defended the belts,” ESPN says. The IBF belt “was stripped from Fury 10 days after he beat Klitschko,” and in October 2016 he “vacated his WBO and WBA heavyweight world title belts.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, reported by ESPN on October 5, 2016, he said, “I’ve been going through depression,” and ESPN later wrote that “he dealt with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues -- including depression.” His weight went “from around 260 pounds to 400,” ESPN says. “If you look back a year ago today, I was about 400 pounds, I was in terrible shape,” he said in December 2018. He “returned to the ring in June after a 31-month layoff,” and on fight night against Deontay Wilder ESPN described “The 256½-pound Fury.”
On December 1, 2018, “before a raucous crowd of 17,698 at Staples Center” in Los Angeles, he challenged Wilder, the unbeaten WBC champion. Wilder “came close, dropping Fury in the ninth round and again in the final round,” ESPN reported: he “went for broke in the 12th round and landed a huge right hand and a clean left hook to put Fury flat on his back as the crowd erupted. It looked like the fight was over.”
“Fury was motionless,” ESPN recalled in 2020, as the referee, Jack Reiss, “got down on one knee as he counted over Fury’s face.” “At six, Fury rolled over to all fours, and at nine, he was on his feet with 2:11 left in the fight.” “As I was saying nine, he was rising,” Reiss said. “Fury somehow gathered his wits, rose and made it to the final bell,” the Associated Press reported. The fight was “ruled a split draw,” 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury and 113-113, and “both fighters remained unbeaten.” At his news conference, Fury said: “I was representing everyone who suffers around the world. I had to get up. I couldn’t stay down. I had to get up and show you can continue.” And: “No secret what I’ve been through. But this is proof anyone can come back from anything with the right mindset and the right help.”
They met again in Las Vegas on February 22, 2020. “Fury scored a pair of knockdowns in a dominating victory that ended in the seventh round when Wilder’s corner threw in the towel before an electric, sold-out crowd of 15,816 on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena,” ESPN reported. “Fury retained the lineal heavyweight championship and seized Wilder’s WBC belt with the win.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- He was knocked flat in the final round, but he wouldn’t stay down. ESPN: Wilder “came close, dropping Fury in the ninth round and again in the final round” … “landed a huge right hand and a clean left hook to put Fury flat on his back as the crowd erupted. It looked like the fight was over. Fury barely beat referee Jack Reiss’ count.” Associated Press: “Fury somehow gathered his wits, rose and made it to the final bell.” 45
- His name is Tyson Fury. ESPN: “England’s Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs), 30”; “Britain’s first world heavyweight champion since” David Haye. 61
- He beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to become world champion. ESPN (November 28, 2015): “DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Tyson Fury ushered in a new era of heavyweight boxing with a shock unanimous points decision over Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday” … “Fury lifted the WBA, IBF and WBO titles” … “at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf.” 1
- Within a year, the belts were gone. ESPN (October 14, 2016): he “vacated his WBO and WBA heavyweight world title belts Wednesday night”; the IBF belt “was stripped from Fury 10 days after he beat Klitschko.” ESPN, 2018: “Fury never defended the belts.” 34
- By his own account, he fell into depression, drink and drugs. Fury, to Rolling Stone, as reported by ESPN: “I’ve been going through depression.” ESPN, 2018: “he dealt with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues -- including depression.” 24
- His weight hit 400 pounds. Fury, at his postfight news conference in December 2018: “If you look back a year ago today, I was about 400 pounds, I was in terrible shape.” ESPN: “weight gain from around 260 pounds to 400.” 64
- He fought back, losing more than 100 pounds. ESPN: “The 256½-pound Fury”; he “returned to the ring in June after a 31-month layoff.” (From about 400 to 256½ pounds is some 143 pounds.) 4
- In December 2018, he faced Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles. Associated Press (December 1, 2018): “Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw Saturday night, with Wilder retaining his WBC heavyweight title” … “their meeting at Staples Center.” ESPN: “before a raucous crowd of 17,698 at Staples Center.” 54
- The champion was unbeaten, with 39 knockouts. ESPN, after the draw: “Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), 33, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama”; “both fighters remained unbeaten.” 4
- In the 12th round, Wilder’s right and left put him flat on his back. ESPN: “Wilder went for broke in the 12th round and landed a huge right hand and a clean left hook to put Fury flat on his back.” ESPN, 2020: “a massive right hand to the side of the head followed by a clean left hook on Fury’s chin that floored him.” 47
- He lay still as the referee counted. ESPN: “Fury was motionless.” … “Reiss got down on one knee as he counted over Fury’s face.” 7
- At six, he rolled over. At nine, he was up. ESPN: “At six, Fury rolled over to all fours, and at nine, he was on his feet with 2:11 left in the fight.” The referee, Jack Reiss: “As I was saying nine, he was rising.” 7
- “I had to get up,” he said. “I couldn’t stay down.” Fury, at his postfight news conference: “I was representing everyone who suffers around the world. I had to get up. I couldn’t stay down. I had to get up and show you can continue.” 6
- He finished the round. The judges called it a draw. ESPN: “he beats the count and finishes the fight”; “ruled a split draw”; “Judge Alejandro Rochin, of Mexico, scored the fight 115-111 for Wilder, Canadian judge Robert Tapper had it 114-112 for Fury, and British judge Phil Edwards had it 113-113.” 74
- “Anyone can come back from anything,” he said. Fury, at the same news conference: “No secret what I’ve been through. But this is proof anyone can come back from anything with the right mindset and the right help.” 6
- In the rematch, he stopped Wilder and took his title. ESPN (February 23, 2020, Las Vegas): “Fury scored a pair of knockdowns in a dominating victory that ended in the seventh round when Wilder’s corner threw in the towel before an electric, sold-out crowd of 15,816 on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Fury retained the lineal heavyweight championship and seized Wilder’s WBC belt with the win.” 8
Sources
- Tyson Fury stuns Wladimir Klitschko to become world heavyweight champion with unanimous decision (November 28, 2015) ESPN
- Tyson Fury’s interview with Rolling Stone, as reported by ESPN (Dan Rafael, October 5, 2016) ESPN
- Tyson Fury vacates heavyweight belts amid treatment for depression (October 14, 2016) ESPN
- Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury fight to draw; both call for rematch (Dan Rafael, December 2, 2018) ESPN
- Fury Gets Up After Knockdowns, Wilder Scores Split Draw at Staples Center (Greg Beacham, December 1, 2018) Associated Press (NBC Los Angeles)
- Tyson Fury has risen from knockdowns in ring and in life (Dan Rafael, December 3, 2018) ESPN
- Inside the unforgettable 12th round of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury (Dan Rafael, February 21, 2020) ESPN
- Tyson Fury stops Deontay Wilder as corner throws in towel in 7th (February 23, 2020) ESPN
Notes
The count: Wilder says “Honestly, it was a slow count”; the referee, Jack Reiss, says “My count was perfect … It was nine seconds” (both to ESPN in 2020). The Short follows ESPN’s own timing (six, nine) and takes no side.
His eyes: the Associated Press wrote “his eyes rolling backward”; Reiss says “his eyes were actually open.” The Short says only that he lay still (ESPN: “motionless”).
His weight: his own figures vary over time. In October 2016 he gave “285 pounds, 290 pounds,” before his heaviest, by his own later account; at his December 2018 news conference he said “about 400 pounds,” and ESPN says “from around 260 pounds to 400.” The Short says 400 after “By his own account,” and the loss as “more than a hundred,” from about 400 to the 256½ pounds he weighed for Wilder.
Scorecards: Al Jazeera printed 114-110 for Fury; ESPN and the Associated Press both say 114-112.
The belts: the Short says only that “the belts were gone,” without a reason; ESPN says the IBF belt was stripped 10 days after the Klitschko fight and that he vacated the WBO and WBA belts in October 2016.
Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko and Jack Reiss are alive. Only fight results, official statements and Fury’s own published words are used. His depression, drinking and drug use are mentioned only as briefly as the Short mentions them, in his words and ESPN’s, and nothing else about his health, his family or his private life is used; Wilder appears only as the champion and opponent. Their third fight, in October 2021, is not part of this story. If you are struggling, please talk to someone you trust or a local helpline.
Pictures: no free photo shows any of these fights; every picture of those nights we found is agency, promoter or broadcast work. Tyson Fury is shown ringside at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, on December 16, 2017; with title belts at the Copper Box Arena in London on April 30, 2016; and from behind, in a White House doorway, on June 14, 2026. Deontay Wilder is shown on January 8, 2015, and at a press event in May 2018; Wladimir Klitschko at a press conference in Düsseldorf on January 28, 2010. The Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, the 2015 fight’s venue, is seen on July 26, 2009; the Staples Center, the 2018 fight’s venue, at night on April 19, 2012; and the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the 2020 rematch’s venue, with an empty ring on December 7, 2008, and full for Pacquiao vs. Thurman on July 20, 2019. The bathroom scales are from 2018 and have nothing to do with Fury.
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0); Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain (1886 version) (Musopen, public domain); Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
