Fury KO's Wilder in epic slugfest to retain WBC world title

Tyson Fury dismantled Deontay Wilder before delivering a late knockout to retain the WBC world heavyweight title.

In a brutal slugfest in Las Vegas, the unbeaten British star dropped his American challenger in the 11th round for the third and final time in an emphatic end to their trilogy fight. 

Fury (31-0-1) and Wilder (42-2-1) went toe-to-toe throughout the heavyweight showdown, though the latter was out on his feet and it appeared a matter of time before the 'Gypsy King' scored the telling blow.

The champion, 33, said: "I have proved time and again that I can never be written off. 

"I didn't have my best performance but I pulled it out of the bag when it needed to be done. 

"He did keep getting up but it was that final right hand to the side of the head that finished him. 

"I wasn't hurt. You get hit, you wake up on the floor. I got up and was very conscious the whole time. I was one punch away from knocking him out in the whole fight. 

"I went over and said well done and he said he didn't want to show any sportsmanship or respect. Very surprised by that. He’s an idiot. 

"I pray for him. I am thankful that we all get out of the fight in one piece and get to go to our families."

After a contentious split-decision draw in the first meeting back in December 2018, the rematch saw Fury take the judges out of the equation with a dominant performance, forcing a seventh-round stoppage that not only saw Wilder lose the WBC title but also his unbeaten record as a professional.

The trilogy was not seemingly on the cards — or at least not this soon — until the outcome of an arbitration hearing, a judge ruling the reigning champion was contractually obliged to face his former foe again, ending the possibility of a unification showdown with Anthony Joshua.

In front of a star-studded crowd, Wilder made a bright start, though Fury moved around well and managed to land a strike to the head in an exchange before the end of the opening round.

Both men continued to go for some big shots as the referee repeatedly shouted to keep it clean, with clinching aplenty.

Fury scored a knockdown in the third round after sending Wilder to the canvas with a big shot to the head and the latter – on the ropes amid a flurry of big punches – barely made it to the bell.

Wilder appeared to seize the momentum in an incredible fourth round, with the slugfest moving in his favour having dropped Fury twice in a concerning sequence for the champion.

Neither fighter took a backward step in a stunning showdown between two powerful hitters – Fury landed a blow to Wilder's head late in the sixth round and continued where he left off in the seventh.

Wilder, who spent most of the fight on the ropes, looked out on his feet during the latter stages of the seventh after absorbing another brutal strike to the head as Fury sniffed blood.

Having somehow survived, Wilder was floored in the 10th and was on the receiving end of an uppercut during the final stages and while he ended the round swinging, he was finally stopped in the 11th.

Former world heavyweight champ David Haye, who watched the action unfold from ringside, said: "Fury did exactly what he needed to do. He was fighting a different person tonight and he adjusted accordingly, he took his licks and got back up.

"It was a great performance, the guy [Wilder] had a massive punch with 41 knockouts. He took that knockout punch on the button and got back up. 

"I thought if Wilder had his right hand then it would have been enough to keep Fury down. The problem was Wilder didn't have that technique to put clusters of them together and really hurt Fury."