Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert really wasn’t feeling Wilder-Fury decision

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had a visceral reaction to the result of Saturday’s big bout between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

On Saturday night, the Utah Jazz enjoyed what feels like a rare night off during what’s been a run filled with road games and travel days. The brief respite ahead of Sunday’s bout with the Miami Heat afforded star center Rudy Gobert and other Jazzmen the opportunity to watch Tyson Fury go toe-to-toe with Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title.

Unquestionably, it was a battle for the ages. However, like most of the free world, Gobert — whose first sport was boxing — was not expecting the result. Save for a pair of knockdowns by the defending champion, Fury seemingly dominated the fight, which surprisingly resulted in a split draw.

Here was Gobert’s response to that decision —

Never watching boxing again; talk about a visceral reaction. Clearly, the Stifle Tower joins the majority of folks backing Fury’s efforts. For his part, back-up center Ekpe Udoh wasn’t down with the decision, either —

Nor was former Jazzman Trevor Booker —

Given the way things played out, it’s not hard to see why they and others would be calling out the entire sport.

I’ll say this, as an impartial observer without a dog in the fight: I fully expected Fury’s hand to be raised at the end of the match. Really, it’s kind of a shame that his incredible comeback tale didn’t get its perfect ending (as of yet).

That said, I absolutely think there’s something to be said for Wilder’s assertion that referee Jack Reiss’ count on his second, brutal knockdown of Fury was slow.

Nevertheless, when the inevitable rematch between the two happens, I’m sure Gobert, Udoh, Booker and myself will all be glued to our TV screens in spite of the controversial finish.