Boxer Fury returns ‘to top of the throne’

Tyson Fury didn’t get the second-round knockout he promised against Deontay Wilder, but the lineal heavyweight champion still battered his injured opponent throughout on the way to a seventh-round TKO in their highly anticipated rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Fury claimed the World Boxing Council belt, the only major title he had not won during his career, when referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight at 1:39 in the seventh at the request of Wilder’s corner, leaving no doubt after the first meeting between the fighters two years ago ended in a split draw.

“The king has returned to the top of the throne,” said Fury, nicknamed the Gypsy King.

The Englishman (30-0-1, 21 knockouts) recorded two knockdowns, including in Round 3 when he landed a right to the head that had Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOS) bleeding profusely from his ear.

That blow left Wilder wobbly through the remainder of the fight, and Fury, who weighed in at 273 pounds — 19 pounds heavier than when the two first fought Dec. 1, 2018 — capitalized again with a fifth-round knock-down.

Wilder came in at 231 pounds, well above the 213 he carried in the initial fight in which he knocked Fury down twice, including in the 12th and final round, setting up a rematch that became the highest grossing in terms of revenue generated by ticket sales in the state of Nevada.

In a stunning turn of events, Wilder’s power was nowhere to be found, particularly after the damage to his ear, perhaps from a ruptured eardrum. Wilder’s balance and footwork were never the same after that blow from Fury.

“The best man won tonight,” Wilder said.

“I make no excuses tonight.”