"It gained him respect from public" - Teddy Atlas reacts to the trilogy war between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder etched their names into boxing folklore after their lengthy trilogy saga came to an end. Coach extraordinaire Teddy Atlas subsequently took to social media in a bid to offer his two cents on the fight.
Hailing both fighters for their performances, Teddy Atlas went on to single out Deontay Wilder for some praise. He likened his loss to that of Sugar Ray Leonard against Roberto Duran.
"In some ways this fight did for Wilder what the loss to Duran did for Leonard, it gained him respect from public."
In some ways this fight did for Wilder what the loss to Duran did for Leonard, it gained him respect from public. #FuryWilder3
The fight in question was billed as 'The Brawl in Montreal', where Roberto Duran handed Sugar Ray Leonard the first loss of his career by unanimous decision.
Although Leonard conceded the loss, he earned the respect of the public for the heart he displayed against the Panamanian bruiser. Similarly, Deontay Wilder left everything inside the ring against Tyson Fury, earning the respect of the fans in attendance and those all over the world.
Teddy Atlas believes bulk slowed Deontay Wilder down
Atlas asserted that both fighters showed a tremendous amount of heart, fighting out of the graves they had been pushed into by their opponents. The legendary coach also took note of Wilder's gas tank or lack thereof.
The bulk of muscle gassed and slowed Wilder, but never slowed the ticking of his heart. #FuryWilderIII #FuryWilder3
Atlas admitted that although Wilder was losing energy with every passing round due to the bulk and muscle mass, he didn't lose his fighting spirit. Every time it seemed like Deontay Wilder was done, he would land a combination that rocked Tyson Fury.
Teddy Atlas also hailed Tyson Fury as the better boxer. However, he declared that it was Fury's mental fortitude that carried him to a win.
The overall better technique of Fury showed all night, and his ability to fight on inside was a difference. #FuryWilder3 #FuryWilderIII
Tyson Fury is now hurtling towards a grand unification fight against the freshly minted heavyweight kingpin in Oleksandr Usyk. The fight will crown the first unified heavyweight champion in decades. According to reports, though, Usyk will first have to defend his belts against Anthony Joshua in a rematch.