America takes it on the chin as ‘those darn Brits’ dominate boxing’s heavyweight division
President Donald Trump, Mike Tyson and the US media react to Tyson Fury’s stunning victory over Deontay Wilder
Mike Tyson has lavished praise on Tyson Fury after the Gypsy King crushed Deontay Wilder in the Las Vegas rematch at the weekend.
“Dominant performance champ, Tyson Fury”, Tyson tweeted, after whom Fury was named by his father in 1988.
“Iron Mike” has made no secret of the fact he’s a Fury fan and he was seen celebrating the Englishman’s win at ringside.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not only was it a dominant performance from Fury in taking his opponent’s WBC heavyweight belt, it was also a devastating one, as he demolished Wilder - the Alabama Hammer - in seven magnificent rounds at the MGM Grand.
Those darn Brits...
Going into the fight, Wilder had never been beaten, but the hammering he took from Fury was a humiliation that was felt across the whole country.
“We took it on the chin again, America,” laments USA Today. “From those darn Brits. And this time it hurt bad… if only the damage ended here.”
It doesn’t, of course, said the paper. Less than three months ago American-Mexican Andy Ruiz was on the wrong end of a pummelling from Watford’s own Anthony Joshua, which cost him his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts.
“Check your own belts, my fellow Americans, because by now the Brits might have those too,” the paper continued.
White House rematch?
Donald Trump couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge that a fellow American had been outclassed by a Brit, but the United States president did tell reporters outside the White House that it had been a “great fight”.
He then mooted the idea of inviting the pair to his place, presumably for a chat and not a rematch.
Quoted by the New York Post, Trump said: “Maybe we have to bring them both to the White House - I don’t know - because that was really a good one. I think we’ll do that.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Show me the money
Who Fury will fight next is the subject of much speculation in the British press with The Sun claiming that if he meets Joshua it could turn into “boxing’s biggest payday”.
The 30-year-old Joshua has a mandatory fight with Kubrat Pulev but the Sun says that because the Bulgarian shares the same promoter as Fury - Bob Arum - “it could be sidestepped” so that the two Brits could clash in the “fight of the century”.
It’s expected the pair could share a £77m pot, plus countless lucrative sponsorship deals.
England expects
Another of Fury’s promoters, Frank Warren, has said he would love to see the pair get it on.
“I want to see Tyson fight Joshua next,” he said. “That would be the biggest single sporting event to take place in the UK since England winning the World Cup. You wouldn’t be able to get a ticket for it. The country would stop to watch it.”
Today’s back pages
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua - it’s time to ‘get it on’
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Airplane food is reportedly getting much worse
Cockroaches and E. coli are among the recent problems encountered in the skies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is it time for Anthony Joshua to retire?
After his latest brutal defeat, British boxing's 'poster boy' has a difficult choice to make
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: the mega-fight boxing fans ‘deserve’ to see
feature Ukrainian calls out Gypsy King for undisputed clash – which could be held in December
By Mike Starling Published
-
Tyson Fury: will he retire from boxing or become the undisputed ‘Lord of the Ring’?
Why Everyone’s Talking About Pundits look at what the Gypsy King will do next after his masterclass against Dillian Whyte
By Mike Starling Published
-
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: predictions, fight guide, profiles, UK start time and TV
feature The Gypsy King puts his titles on the line in an ‘all-British blockbuster’ at Wembley
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Where does Tyson Fury rank among the best heavyweight boxers of all time?
Today's Big Question Gypsy King retained his WBC crown with a stunning KO of Deontay Wilder
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III: fight guide, predictions, odds, UK start time and TV
In Depth The heavyweight trilogy clash takes place in Vegas this weekend
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Premier League clubs to consult players over 30% pay cut and season will not resume at start of May
Speed Read Sport shorts: ten things from the world of sport on Friday 3 April
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Sport shorts: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III may be held in October and lottery losses will hit Team GB Olympic athletes
Daily Briefing Ten things from the world of sport on Thursday 26 March
By The Week Staff Published