Tyson Fury Captures WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World

There is more going on here than initially meets the eye despite the fact Tyson Fury took "The Bronze Bomber" behind the woodshed Saturday night, emerging with Deontay Wilders WBC heavyweight title and one of the greatest comeback stories in professional boxing history. The two pugilists had met previously, the fight ending with more questions than answers in the wake of a dominant Fury performance. Though steeped in controversy, the fight was an instant classic following Wilder blasting Fury into unconsciousness late in the twelfth round; the Irishmen miraculously picking himself off the canvas in a supernatural display of grit likened to professional wrestling’s Undertaker rising from the dead. The only thing more stunning than Fury’s resurrection from the nether regions being the curious nature of the judging officials split draw decision.

Anytime something unusual happens in prize fighting, your Spidey-senses should be activated to the possibility of the fix being in. “I see fixes all the time,” explained former Leon Spinks manager Charles Farrell in the 2016 Benjamin Best documentary “Dirty Games – The Dark Side of Sports.” According to Farrell, “The way you fix fights varies greatly. You fix fights by buying judges. That’s, you know that’s one of the easy ways to do it. You fix fights by having the referee working for you, so that, if there’s any way that the ref can stop a fight in your guy’s favor, he does. You fix fights by colluding with the fighters, generally the loser. It’s almost always the loser. Winners almost never know the fight is fixed,” explained Farrell.

With that information in mind, in the aftermath of Tyson Fury capturing the WBC heavyweight championship of the world a February 25, 2019 YouTube video from ESPN MMA analyst Chael Sonnen titled, “Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder was awesome…," saw the former UFC middleweight title contender reflect on Wilders corner throwing the towel in against Fury Saturday night. “So, I’m not ready to tell you that he was done," said Sonnen. "That is something for the him and his corner and the referee to decide per the rules."

“It is a little bizarre and I do not question this corner man, I’m just sharing with you that it is a little bit bizarre that a number two would make that call,” explained Sonnen.

“There is a hierarchy there and that is the number one’s job and the number two should have relayed this to the number one, that is generally how this should go. Now, if the number one refuses to do it than the number two does have some authority as you saw and does also have a responsibility. I am not against what the number two did, I’m just sharing with you that would be very uncommon,” explained Sonnen.

Continuing, the Bad Guy went on to note that, “My coach Clayton Hires never had to stop a fight, but he would. But I would also share with you if one of his assistant cornermen went around him and stopped a fight, that guy is likely not coming back. Whether he was right or wrong, if he went around the chief cornermen and made a decision that affected the fight to this magnitude, he’s likely not coming back,” Sonnen explained.

“As an industry standard, that is the sole job of the chief. I am offering to you that I am curious, did that conversation happen? Did the number two say to the chief corner, ‘We need to stop this fight,’ and the chief refused? Did he say it again and the chief refused? Did he say it a third time and the chief refused and he stepped in and did it on his own?” asked Sonnen.

Interestingly, according to a February 23, 2020 BoxingScene.com article titled, “Wilder’s Head Trainer: I don’t think Breland Should’ve Thrown Towel,” author Keith Idec writes that, “Jay Deas, Wilder’s head trainer and co-manager, revealed during the post-fight press conference that he instructed assistant trainer Mark Breland not to throw in the towel when Breland brought up that possibility in their corner during the seventh round.”

The report went on to state that, “By the time the press conference began at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Deas hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to Breland, a former WBA welterweight champion, about why he threw that white towel into the ring anyway,” writes BoxingScene.com.

“Two days after suffering his first defeat, Deontay Wilder was still trying to figure out why Mark Breland threw in the towel Saturday night,” writes Keith Idec in his February 24, 2020 BoxingScene.com follow up article titled, “Wilder: Breland Influenced To Throw In Towel By Anthony Dirrell, Who’s Trained By ‘Sugar’ Hill.” According to Idec, “Wilder has always instructed Breland, his longtime assistant trainer, and head trainer Jay Deas to never throw in the towel when he’s fighting,” the report reads.

“Wilder even suggested Breland was influenced to throw in the towel by Anthony Dirrell, who was seated near Wilder’s corner and, according to Wilder, repeatedly yelled for Wilder’s trainers to stop the fight," writes Idec.

"Anthony Dirrell, a former WBC super-middleweight champion, is trained by Javan “Sugar Hill” Steward, Fury’s head trainer,” the report continues in a stunning revelation and turn of events.

Flashing back to the “Dirty Games – The Dark Side of Sports” interview with Charles Farrell who stated that, “You fix fights by colluding with the fighters, generally the loser. It’s almost always the loser,” and a tantalizing picture begins to emerge in exactly what went wrong for Deontay Wilder Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the wake of the towel of being thrown in immediately following the event, Wilder was reportedly heard questioning his corner’s decision according to a February 23, 2020 SportsCenter social media report. A fact which would seem to suggest Wilder was just as surprised as everybody else with Brelands decision Saturday night.

With Fury firmly in control of the match throughout much of the fight and Wilder having sustained continuous and prolonged damage by that point in the bout; it is widely accepted that Breland made the right decision in mercifully bringing an end to the contest. The move is nearly universally seen as one of compassion and caring for Deontay Wilders health, well-being and future; though with reports beginning to surface of outside interference from the “Sugar Hill" camp playing a role in the ultimate outcome of the fight a very different picture is beginning to emerge.

Tyson Fury took Deontay Wilder behind the woodshed Saturday night, but as impressive as his performance was boxing historians will forever debate the insubordination from Wilder’s cornerman Mark Breland in the wake of a dominant performance from the "Gypsy King." Anytime that you see something unusual in prize fighting, your Spidey senses should be activated to the possibility of the fix being in. And while sometimes the strange, unusual and out of the ordinary occur and are completely organic in nature; the world of professional prize fighting offers little to chance in the billion-dollar combat sports entertainment industry. With both Fury vs Wilder I & II steeped in controversy, it’s fair to consider the very real possibility that there is more going on here than may initially meet the eye.