Undefeated British heavyweight Tyson Fury on Saturday shook off a left hook to the temple that left him bloodied and bruised before battling to a unanimous points win over Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
Fury had to dig deep after the bone-rattling third-round punch from heavy underdog Wallin sliced open a deep gash over his right eye in Las Vegas, Nevada. The shot left Fury half-blind for the remainder of the 12-round non-title bout as blood flowed freely down the right side of his face, but the self-styled “Gypsy King” powered back in a battle of attrition and eventually seized control in the ninth round.
“I got caught early on, which changed the fight completely,” Fury said. “For the majority of fight, I couldn’t see.”
Photo: Reuters
Fury, who was taken to the hospital for repairs, won 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110 on the three judges’ scorecards.
Because the cut was from a punch, and not an accidental clash of heads, Wallin would have won by TKO had the injury caused officials to stop the contest.
Fury was hoping for a dominant performance against the unheralded Swede to stoke excitement for his lucrative money-spinning rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder, which he claims is scheduled for February.
Fury climbed off the canvas after a 12th round knockdown by Wilder in December only for judges to score a draw in a pulsating title fight that many observers thought the Briton had won.
He called out Wilder after the verdict over Wallin was announced, saying: “Deontay, I want you next, bum.”
Before Saturday’s fight, the 31-year-old Fury insisted that he was not looking past the 30/1 underdog Wallin, who entered the ring with a perfect 20-0 record.
An over-the-top, five-minute ring walk sporting a sombrero and accompanied by a Mariachi band had some wondering if Fury was more concerned with boosting his Mexican fan base on their independence day than beating Wallin.
However, as he had against Wilder in December, the unbeaten 206cm Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) showed that he can deal with adversity in the ring.
“It is all heart and determination,” he said. “If I can keep going, then I will keep going.”
The 28-year-old southpaw Wallin angered Fury at the end of the sixth round by reaching over the referee with his glove to try and rip open the cut even more. The fight had been briefly halted in the middle of that round, so the ring doctor could inspect Fury’s cut.
“I can see,” Fury said, when asked if the blood was affecting him.
By the final round, both boxers were out of gas. Wallin connected with a final flurry and, for a few fleeting moments, it looked like the heavyweight division might have its second huge upset of a fancied British fighter in three months.
In June, Mexico’s Andy Ruiz knocked out the previously unbeaten Briton Anthony Joshua in the seventh round in New York to win three of the four major heavyweight belts in one of the sport’s biggest shocks.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically