Saturday night’s boxing match between Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury might have been billed “Unfinished Business” by the sports world, but it was also regarded as an interesting glimpse into perplexing fashion on behalf of Wilder, who had social media raising their eyebrows. While Fury’s TKO win might be captivating fans and spawning a number of bizarre viral moments on their own, it was Wilder’s entrance and choice of ring attire that prompted many online to draw comparisons between his look and one of pop culture’s most prominent and memorable villains: Sauron of The Lord of the Rings.
The Bronze Bomber is seeing red before #WilderFury2
Stream #WilderFury2 on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/mqDaw5quAI pic.twitter.com/NTxf4xZ9PC
— ESPN (@espn) February 23, 2020
Riding into the ring with black, diamond-encrusted armor, Wilder’s chest insignia seemingly appeared to some as a look inspired by the J.R.R. Tolkien series character with Sauron even trending for a few hours on Twitter.
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Wilder, known for his formidable punching power, caught the attention of several on social media with the wild and extravagant look, leading many in trying to understand why the “Bronze Bomber” would go to such lengths for an odd appearance only to get knocked out several rounds later.
“Amazon is really going big with Sauron cross promotions for their LOTR series,” wrote one fan.
“Fury: I’m gonna make my entrance as an actual king,” wrote one fan hypothesizing dialogue between the two boxing opponents. “Wilder: I’ll be fabulous Sauron.”
Sauron out here for fashion week. #TysonFury pic.twitter.com/raHYr5lpC2
— Chris Slevinsky (@pizarrc) February 23, 2020
Saw Sauron trending and I’m relieved to find that he’s still dead. pic.twitter.com/KLsNmmXSh0
— Musty Hobbit (@MustyHobbit) February 23, 2020
Why is Wilder dressed as Sauron?#WilderFury2 pic.twitter.com/vL4Jzdhccd
— George H M Webb (@GeorgeHMWebb) February 23, 2020
“[Motherf—er] came out like Sauron and got dusted,” added another alongside the furious emoji, while another echoed the sentiment, writing: “My man came dressed as Sauron just to get whacked.”
Wilder and Fury met at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night, as part of the highly-anticipated matchup between heavyweight fighters. While it was expected to be a classic battle between speed and power, Fury ultimately took care of business and secured the victory, delivering the first loss of Wilder’s career, and proving to be the unquestioned top heavyweight.
Wilder, a former WBC champion, was viewed as the favorite entering the pay-per-view match thanks in part to his punching power, as well as his performance against Fury during their last controversial bout in 2018. Wilder has rarely been troubled by opponents throughout his career and has a registered 41 knockouts.
Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
