A cut above: Tyson Fury sliced open, but claims victory over Otto Wallin in Las Vegas
Anyone thinking Tyson Fury’s clash with Otto Wallin was a mere placeholder fight for the Brit was left considering their opinion after a grueling encounter left the Brit badly cut as they battled to the scorecards in Las Vegas.
Fury went into the bout as a 1/25 favorite with the Las Vegas bookmakers, but those who had backed the Brit to claim an easy win were left sweating when Fury suffered a nasty cut early in the contest over his right eye in the third round that required repeated medical inspection throughout the contest.
The cut came from a huge left hook from Wallin, and when the wound started to bleed and swell, the referee brought a temporary halt to the fight in Round 6 to get the cut inspected by the ringside doctor.
It meant the whole bout was contested under a cloud of anxiety as Fury’s team and supporters weren’t 100% sure whether the contest would be allowed to go all the way to a conclusion before the doctor made a fight-ending intervention.
It prompted Fury to push hard for a finish as he loaded up his shots in the final rounds, but was unable to stop the gritty Swede.
In the end, Fury, thanks to a strong assist from his cutman, made it all the way to the judges’ scorecards, where he earned a unanimous decision victory with scores of 116-112, 117-111, 118-110 to maintain his undefeated record.
Speaking after the fight, Fury said the cut sustained early in the contest forced him to change tactics.
"It was a great fight, I got caught on the eye and that changed the fight," he said.
"For the majority (of the fight) I could not see out of the eye. Then there was a clash of heads and I got cut again."
Wallin’s performance exceeded most experts’ expectations as he showed himself to be a worthy opponent for the lineal heavyweight champion, and after the fight he said he was happy to have proved his doubters wrong.
"I did everything I could, I tried my best and Tyson is a great champion," he said.
"Nobody can question my heart or question that I'm a good fighter."
Fury’s win now leaves the coast clear for a hotly-anticipated rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. The pair drew in controversial circumstances last December, and Fury named his date for the proposed rematch.
"Deontay Wilder, I want you next, bum," he declared.
"That's my fourth fight, it has put me in good stead for the big dosser, February 22nd."
