The Tyson Fury/Deontay Wilder boxing trilogy will go down in history as one of the greatest heavyweight rivalries of all time. It had all the drama, the backstories and fanfare legendary rivalries need. Both fighters have their own flair, they’ve been head and shoulders above their competition throughout their careers, and they don’t like each other.
For the last three years, all these two gladiators had been thinking about and training for was each other. It was an inspiring rivalry to watch as a boxing fan — and they provided a handful of great reminders/lessons for entrepreneurs…
Four Lessons for Entrepreneurs from the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder Trilogy
Be aware of the competition that refuses to go away: Tyson Fury is a much better boxer than Deontay Wilder. But that nearly didn’t matter in the third and final fight…
Deontay Wilder showed incredible perseverance and a mind-blowing tolerance for pain. He was beaten in his first fight against Fury (despite the judges saying it was a draw) and pulverized in the second fight. Yet, he almost finished Tyson Fury three times in their trilogy bout.
A lesser-skilled but persevering competitor is always a threat. They’re taking notes on how you operate and how to beat you. With time, the odds of them overtaking you increases.
In the third and final fight, Fury was dropped twice in the 4th and nearly finished in the 10th before knocking out Wilder in the 11th round. Of all three fights they had together, the third was the hardest for Fury.
In that third fight, Wilder’s greatest asset was all the knowledge and data he had downloaded on his opponent due to how long the two had been preparing for and fighting each other. It enabled him to have the fight of his life.
The competition that has been looking up to you for a long time will go to extreme lengths to beat you. The longer they watch you with more market share, the more motivated they become to dethrone you. This was most certainly the case for Wilder.
Before the third fight, Wilder fired/replaced his trainer because he threw in the towel in round 7 of the second fight, which Wilder believed was unjustified. So, he vowed to “go out on his shield” in the trilogy bout, and indeed that’s what he did, nearly knocking out Fury before he was put to sleep.
The longer your competition looks up to you, the bigger their hunger becomes to beat you. It’s healthy, and it’s the nature of competitive people. Embrace it.
Belief in yourself can carry you through anything: Tyson Fury is a showman who completely embraces the spectacle of his sport. He loves boxing and his passion for it runs deep in his DNA and family lineage. On the flip side, Fury suffers from mental health issues, namely depression…
A few short years ago, after winning the lineal heavyweight title from Wladimir Klitschko, Fury began living the rockstar lifestyle, spiralled deep into depression, gained 100 pounds, and contemplated suicide. He lost his way.
Eventually, Fury got back to basics, reestablished his faith in God, and realized if he believed squarely in himself, no one could beat him… the result culminated last night in his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder.
You’ll see many elite athletes claim to be the greatest, but it is often disingenuous. You can see it for the inauthentic rhetoric it is. But with Fury, it’s different. You can tell he believes he is the best boxer on the planet, which translates into bravery in the ring unmatched in this era.
Very inspirational pic.twitter.com/KOLkmKyqAD
— FightOracle ™ (@fightoracle) October 10, 2021
You can’t be great without great competitors: Never fear competition. Be thankful for it. Without stiff competition, your best won’t be demonstrated.
Bad blood aside, Fury and Wilder would never be the stars they are today without each other. For that reason alone, they should become great friends. In the future, I think they will be.
Most of the time, stamina beats power: If you’re in the trenches of a competitive industry, realize that no single thing will propel you to the top. You need to stack little victories on top of each other — year in and year out.
You can’t beat great competition with a single offering… be realistic. It’s a battle of attrition — a 2-3% market share win here, another 1% there. Over time, you chip away.
Recognize that business success is about constantly peppering the market with new offerings — more optionality.
Fury won the trilogy because he was relentless with his boxing: jabs, uppercuts, hooks, feints, leaning on his opponent. He pulled out every tool in the toolbox, whereas Wilder relied on the one thing he is the best at… A power right cross. In the end, the man with the most offerings won.
Inspiration Delivered by Fury and Wilder
I love watching big, significant sporting events: Super Bowls, World Cups, Heavyweight Title Fights…
They can be incredibly inspiring and often have storylines that teach us valuable lessons applicable to life and entrepreneurship. The Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder trilogy was epic on all fronts. Thankful for the memories and lessons these two fighters brought the world.
Stay hungry,
Aaron
