Tyson Fury Praises 'Warrior' Deontay Wilder After TKO in Championship Fight

Tyson Fury praised "warrior" Deontay Wilder after ending his five-year reign as WBC heavyweight world champion on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old beat the American via a seventh-round TKO in one of boxing's most hotly anticipated rematches and was generous with his praise after his win, per Dan Rafael at ESPN.

"A big shoutout to Deontay Wilder," he said. "He came here tonight and he manned up, and he really did show the heart of a champion. I hit him with a clean right that dropped him, and he got back up. He is a warrior."

Fury produced a stunning performance on his way to being crowned world champion. The Briton was knocked down twice in 2018 when the pair first met in an enthralling draw in Los Angeles but was at his destructive best this time around.

The 31-year-old floored the American in the third and fifth rounds and overpowered his previously undefeated rival until Wilder's corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.

There was plenty of respect between the pair at the end of the fight:

Fury's win caps a remarkable comeback from the Gypsy King, who spent over two years away from the sport and has battled mental health issues during his career. The new world champion celebrated his win by singing "American Pie" with the crowd:

Wilder was taken to hospital to have "stitches in his ear and precautionary observations" and missed the post-fight press conference, per the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham. However, trainer Jay Deas said a third fight between the two rivals could go ahead.

"These guys have put on two tremendous fights already, so I certainly think that the public will want it," he said. "And I think we'll want it and I think they'll want it, so it seems natural. I think that's what you'll see happen."

Wilder can request another rematch, but Fury said his career would be "completed" if he took on Anthony Joshua, the current holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF world titles, in a unification bout next, according to Luke Reddy at BBC Sport.