Wilder finally congratulates Fury five days after epic bout

Five days after their epic heavyweight battle, Deontay Wilder finally congratulated Tyson Fury for his 11th round knockout victory in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Wilder had been criticized for not shaking Fury’s hand right after the fight, which saw the Briton retaining his WBC title. Fury had said that when he went to shake Wilder’s hand and tell him “well done”, his opponent said “No, I don’t respect you”.

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Wilder shows he is not a sore loser

But Wilder made up for it, albeit belatedly. In an Instagram post, the knockout specialist congratulated Fury and thanked him “for the great historical memories that will last forever.”

The “Bronze Bomber” admitted his disappointment with how the fight turned out, but added that he was proud of all that he had achieved.

“We didn’t get the win but a wise man once said the victories are within the lessons. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to lose to win. Although I wanted the win I enjoyed seeing the fans win even more,” the 35-year-old American wrote.

“Hopefully, I proved that I am a true Warrior and a true King in this sport. Hopefully, WE proved that no matter how hard you get hit with trials and tribulations you can always pick yourself up to live and fight again for what you believe in,” he added.

Wilder's hand broken

Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel told ESPN that the boxer broke his right hand sometime in Round 6. He is scheduled for surgery to repair the damage on Monday, and wlll be unable to box for the next few months.

Last Saturday’s fight was the last chapter in the Fury-Wilder fight trilogy. The first match took place in December 2018, which ended in a draw. The second, held in February 2020, ended in the seventh round with a TKO by the 33-year-old "Gypsy King".