Fury defends belt with 11th-round KO of Wilder in classic trilogy fight

"The Gypsy King" is still king of the heavyweights.

In an instant classic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Tyson Fury defended his WBC heavyweight title with an 11th-round knockout victory over Deontay Wilder in their heavily anticipated trilogy fight.

Wilder was transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure, according to the pay-per-view broadcast.

The two bitter rivals fought a war right from the get-go. They combined for five knockdowns, with Wilder hitting the canvas three times and Fury going down twice in the fourth round. Fury's falls marked the first time an opponent dropped him twice in a single round, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Wilder battled hard despite Fury landing far more punches (148-72) during the fight. He appeared to be hurt several times throughout but persisted into the 11th and somehow even landed a few blows. But Wilder eventually ran out of gas, and Fury sent the "Bronze Bomber" packing. Fury now has 31 wins in 32 professional bouts.

The bad blood between Fury and Wilder continued after their brief post-fight exchange.

"I said, 'Well done, mate,' and he said, 'I don't want to show any sportsmanship or respect,'" Fury said, according to TalkSport's Alex McCarthy. "I said, 'No problem.' I was very surprised. Sore loser. Idiot."

Saturday's trilogy fight was the culmination of one of the best rivalries in modern heavyweight boxing. Wilder and Fury's first meeting in 2018 ended in a controversial split-decision draw. Fury then won the rematch with a decisive TKO victory two years later. A dispute over the rematch clause then delayed their third fight, as did the pandemic and Fury getting COVID-19 during training.