Deontay Wilder was pushed to the limit by Tyson Fury but survived to retain his title after their WBC heavyweight title bout ended in a draw.
Tyson Fury survived a pair of knockdowns and looked to have done enough to outclass WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
However, it all ended in a split draw in front of 17,698 fans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Alejandro Rochin of Mexico scored it 115-111 to Wilder while Robert Tapper of Canada had it 114-110 to Fury. With Phil Edwards of the United Kingdom scoring it 113-113, it meant that Wilder retained the title on a draw.
Both fighters preserved their unbeaten records with the draw, but both thought they had done enough to earn the victory in the bout, which played out before 17,698 fans in downtown Los Angeles.
"I think with the two knockdowns I definitely won the fight," said Wilder (40-0-1), adding that he started slow and rushed his punches in a sub-par performance.
"We poured our hearts out tonight. We're both warriors but with those two drops I think I won the fight," he said in the ring after the fight.
"When I rush my punches like that I'm never accurate. The rematch I guarantee I'm going to get him."
Former world champion Fury (27-0-1), in just his third bout since a two-and-a-half year absence from the sport following mental health issues and a failed drug test, was convinced he should have walked away with the title.
"We’re on away soil, I got knocked down twice, but I still believe I won that fight," he said.
"That man is a fearsome puncher and I was able to avoid that."
"The world knows I won the fight."
After exchanging harsh words in the leadup to the fight, both men were full of praise for each other following the final bell and were eager for a rematch.
"One hundred percent we'll do the rematch," Fury said.
"We are two great champions. Me and this man are the two best heavyweights on the planet."
Wilder vs Fury match card, results
Deontay Wilder (c) vs Tyson Fury for the heavyweight title ends in a split draw
Jarrett Hurd (c) defeats Jason Wellborn via fourth-round TKO (ref stoppage)
Luis Ortiz defeats Travis Kauffman via 10th-round TKO (ref stoppage)
Joe Joyce defeats Joe Hanks via first-round TKO (ref stoppage)
Oleksandr Gvozdyk defeats Adonis Stevenson via 11th-round TKO (ref stoppage)
(With Reuters Inputs)
