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    Column: When Fury kayoed Wilder, boxing history merely repeated itself

    Remember the Lewis-Tyson fight nearly two decades ago?
    Feb 26, 2020
    PHOTO: AP
    spin zone

    CHICAGO - Nearly 18 years ago, before heading off to the East swing of the 2002 NBA Finals in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the Nets were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers, I made a pit stop in Memphis, Tennessee.

    I didn't make the side trip because I craved for southern style barbecue. I was in Elvis country to cover the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fight at The Pyramid where Manny Pacquiao fought in the main undercard and defended his IBF super bantamweight title with a second-round TKO over Jorge Eliecer Julio.

    In what was marketed as the biggest heavyweight showdown since Lennox Lewis retired an old, washed-up Iron Mike, Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury 2 took place with much larger pomp and pageantry last Sunday in Las Vegas,

    I wasn't at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for this one, but I watched it at home on pay-per-view for $79.99. And what I saw was more proof that history, indeed, repeats itself.

    Like Lewis versus Tyson, the Fury-Wilder rematch wasn't much of a fight. It was a cruel mauling, one-sided as a horse against a jockey's whip.

    And just like that "fight of the century" 18 summers ago, a giant Brit dominated an undersized American using a rocket left jab to inflict mayhem with a sledgehammer right hand.

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    Picked by most experts to prevail mainly on the strength of his nuclear knockout power, Wilder lost because he kept using his skull to hit the angry hands of Fury.

    But there was an element in Wilder-Fury 2 that was missing in Lewis vs. Tyson.

    Comedy was added to injury.

    After the beat down, Wilder acknowledged defeat and offered "no excuses." That was what his instinct told him to do. But a day later, his ego said something different.

    "I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds," he told ESPN.

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    Such statement makes Wilder appear like a stand-up comic with a bad joke. Either that or the 33-year old must be suffering from early onset of midlife denial and random stupidity.

    SIZE MATTERS. But here's the stark naked truth: the fight ended the way it did because, per CompuBox numbers, Fury threw more punches (83-34), landed more jabs (22-16) and connected on way more power shots (58-18).

    Besides the blunt force trauma caused by his fists, Fury outweighed Wilder by 42 pounds. The Brit looked like a beluga whale with arms, using his massive heft and 6-foot-9 length to bully a retreating 6-foot-7, 231-pound Wilder.

    I don't believe the costume excuse for a second. And here's why.

    At age 19, Wilder used to be deliver beer for the Greene Beverage Company in his hometown of Tuscalosa, Alabama. And according to WTTM Channel 13, Deontay used to "lift 160-pound kegs up and down stairs."

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    How hard can a 40-pound outfit with sequins be?

    Also, Wilder tried on the masked ensemble the day prior to the bout, so he knew exactly what was up. It wasn't like he was forced to wear that thing on the fly.

    Wilder said he wore the costume to honor his heritage but to paraphrase the great Greg Cote of The Miami Herald, the best way he could have honored Black History Month was to beat the white guy in front of him.

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    He failed because he allowed the show to get in the way of the performance.

    With blood oozing from his left ear, there was speculation from the broadcast crew that Wilder may have ruptured his ear drums. He turned out to be fine, but when he heard Fury celebrate his victory by leading the arena crowd to an American Pie sing-along, Deontay probably wished he had impaired hearing.

    All things considered, Deontay Wilder really had a great night.

    Although his ring record is now blemished with one defeat, the wounded pride should be eased by the mountain of money he made - $5 million in guaranteed purse and at least $30 million in pay-per-view upside.

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    Fury, meanwhile, stayed unbeaten after 31 bouts. His purse and share of the pay-per-view revenue will be the same as Wilder's but when they go at it again this summer, the 31-year old Gypsy King will be on the high side of a 60-40 split.

    I don't know if I'll pay to see Fury-Wilder III. It would be just like one of those exhausting, stretched-out-thin movie sequels.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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    PHOTO: AP
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