Newly crowned World Boxing Council Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, nicknamed the “Gypsy King,” has been named the Hickok Belt® Award winner for February 2020. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). On February 22, British professional boxer Tyson Fury scored a seventh-round TKO over Deontay Wilder, knocking him to the ring floor twice, en route to being crowned the WBC Champion. This bout was a rematch after their initial fight in 2018 ended in a controversial 12 round draw and resulted in Wilder retaining his title. In the February 2020 bout, Fury dominated from the start. Wilder was knocked to the floor in the third and fifth rounds, and in the seventh round, his corner threw in the towel after Fury delivered a plethora of punishing power punches. Fury became the first man to defeat two champions with ten or more defenses, Wladimir Klitschko (18) and Deontay Wilder (10). Fury now reigns supreme in the heavyweight division and is considered the best heavyweight of the current era at the moment. The third bout rematch is expected to take place on July 18 at the MGM Grand and Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Other finalists for the month of February in order of how the NSMA voters ranked them were: Denny Hamlin (auto racing), Novak Djokovic (tennis), David Pastrnak (hockey), Bradley Beal (basketball), Sofia Kenin (tennis), James Harden (basketball), Pavel Francouz (hockey), Webb Simpson (golf) and Inbee Park (golf).
Tyson Fury’s selection as the Hickok Belt Award winner for February 2020 not only recognizes him as “the best of the best” in professional sports for the month and makes him the second candidate eligible to receive the overall Hickok Belt® Award for 2020, joining Patrick Mahomes.
To learn more about the Hickok Belt® Award and its history, visit www.hickokbelt.com.
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