There was a buzz in the arena.
This wasn’t surprising because this was one of the biggest heavyweight fights in the last twenty years. What was surprising that it felt more like we were in the UK than in Las Vegas. Wilder-Fury 1 was held at the Staples Center, and the crowd was very diverse, and I felt that Wilder used that energy in the 12th to put Fury down and salvage a draw.
It felt different in Vegas, and it started at the weigh-in where he was booed like the road team in a playoff game.
Even though he was the champion on American Soil when he walked into the ring, it seemed like he was the challenger. It didn’t take long for the crowd to get behind Fury. With every jab and right hand, they grew longer and urged him forward.
It seemed all of this combined with the reasons Wilder went over in detail after the fight just drained the life force out of him.
When I asked a fan in the arena after the fight, who was crying after Fury’s victory why was he so emotional, he said to me.
“He’s one of us, he is just a regular guy and now he is the baddest man on the planet.”
It made me think why doesn’t America see Wilder the same way? His story is relatable, he seems to be relatable, but while he has a strong contingent of fans within the black community it didn’t extend beyond that on fight night.
There will be a rematch with a site yet to be determined, and we will have to see if things will be different or the same for Wilder a 3rd time around.
What we do know is wherever the fight is that Fury’s fans will be there and will be vocal just like they were Saturday night in Vegas.