Tyson Fury overcame an early cut over his right eye to win defeat gutsy Swedish opponent Otto Wallin on points in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The English fighter was expected to cruise past his underdog challenger but was forced to battle through the bloody cut and a relentless Wallin to maintain his unbeaten record.
The judges scored the bout 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110 in favor of Fury, but there were moments when he faced real danger.
Wallin struck Fury with a left hook early on to open a gash that had to be tended to for the remainder of the night.
“It was a great fight, I got caught on the eye and that changed the fight,” Fury said in a ringside interview afterwards.
“For the majority I could not see out of the eye. Then there was a clash of heads and I got cut again.”
Wake-up call
The referee paused the fight in the sixth round to have the cut inspected, and that seemed to be the wake-up call needed to ignite the 6ft 9in boxer.
Fury came alive in the middle to late rounds, pounding Wallin with close range shots though not finishing him.
The final round proved a wild finish as Fury went for the kill before being hit with a powerful left from the southpaw.
Wallin (20-1) entered the night undefeated but untested by notable competition. The 28-year-old exceeded expectations in an entertaining clash.
“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 (29-0-1) is now scheduled to fight a rematch in February with Deontay Wilder with whom he controversially drew last December.
“Deontay Wilder, I want you next, bum,? Fury said. “That’s my fourth fight, it has put me in good stead for the big dosser, February 22nd. Let the cut heal, have some time to relax with the family.” - Reuters
