Wilder’s team insisting Fury cheated and Fury’s side saying Wilder can’t take defeat
Few boxing rivalries can match the intensity and popularity of the rift between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Though their last bout confirmed Fury as the world champion and they aren’t likely to faceoff again, that hasn’t stopped fans from diving into the nitty-gritty details of their multi-year rivalry.
Back in 2015, the pair had yet to faceoff. Wilder was busy challenging Bermane Stiverne in a campaign to become the heavyweight championship. Meanwhile, Fury was busy donning Batman costumes and haranguing Wladimir Klitschko, closely mirroring some of the antics from the world’s oddest athletes like Dennis Rodman and Mario Balotelli.
Both competitors got the best of their opponents, leading Fury and Wilder to begin a string of back-and-forths that led to one of boxing’s greatest trilogies between The Gypsy King and The Brown Bomber. Their first fight came back in 2018, which ended in a split draw.
The next bout was scheduled for 2020, which saw Fury walk away as the champion after a seventh-round TKO. The trilogy concluded on 9 October 2021, which saw Fury take the belt once again with an eleventh-round knockout.
Despite Fury’s decisive wins in the latter two fights, the trilogy hasn’t been without its controversy. One of the biggest issues surrounding their final fight was the presence of horsehair in Fury’s gloves. Though video footage covering the topic circulated, Fury’s subsequent win helped to bury the headlines.
So what happened with Fury’s glove, and did the Wilder team have a right to call on officials for a review of The Gypsy King’s equipment?
A Question of Horsehair
Boxers wear gloves to protect themselves, their opponents, and, in some cases, to help judges more easily record points. Each boxer is allowed to construct their own gloves according to restrictions in place by the group organizing the fight. Typically, gloves are padded with horsehair, latex and PVC foam, or a mixture of all three.
Following the second fight between Fury and Wilder, Wilder’s team raised concerns regarding the composition of padding in Fury’s gloves. Fury’s team dutifully proved that his gloves were padded according to statutes with horsehair and foam. However, Wilder’s team continued to make criticisms based on the usage of horsehair, with Fury insisting he never cheated.
Typically, horsehair provides a great deal of cushioning depending on how and where it’s packed into the glove. Wilder’s team felt the amount of hair was insufficient for official padding, as well as being previously used (which meant it had already been compacted).
No action was taken in regards to their second fight. However, Wilder’s team was adamant to inspect Fury’s gloves prior to their October fight.
Horsehair vs. Everlast MX
Once again, Wilder’s team argued with officials about the composition of Fury’s gloves. Again, the concern was that the horsehair didn’t protect Wilder from Fury’s hits to the same degree that Wilder’s gloves would protect Fury. In response, Wilder opted for a leaner boxing glove known in the industry as a boxer’s glove given its minimal padding.
Though Wilder hoped his pair of Everlast MX’s would give him the edge to topple Fury, that wasn’t the case. After a grueling eleven rounds, Fury delivered a knockout. Despite the definitive win, Wilder’s team has continued to criticize Fury’s choice of gloves.
In fact, the boxer’s team has brought up issues related to the pair’s first 2018 fight, which ended in a draw. During the match, Wilder claimed to see Fury’s coach pull down his gloves to correct his hand formation. At the time, no one saw the move.
To this day, Wilder insists that Fury had something ‘hard’ in his glove, which contributed to multiple scratches and abrasions Wilder suffered. He said the same for their February 2020 faceoff. However, NASC officials have yet to find any conclusive evidence that links Fury and his gloves to tampering or illegal activity.
The issue has become a point of serious contention between the elite boxers, with Wilder’s team insisting Fury cheated and Fury’s side insisting Wilder can’t take defeat.