GYPSY KING SEIZES BACK WORLD THRONE
BOXING: Tyson Fury is a world champion once more.
Tyson Fury confirmed his status as one of sport’s great entertainers and the greatest heavyweight of his generation with a savage beatdown of Deontay Wilder in their rematch.
The Gypsy King looked dominant from the first bell and didn’t let up in a seventh-round TKO victory that saw him claim the WBC heavyweight title yesterday.
Fury knocked down Wilder in the third round and the now-former champion was on shaky legs from that moment on.
Wilder was knocked down again in the fifth round after a body shot, before his corner finally threw in the towel in the seventh as Fury hunted the knockout finish.
“The king has returned,” Fury said.
From dancing pre-fight in the changerooms to entering the arena dressed as a king on an Egyptianstyle litter and capping his victory by singing American Pie to the crowd, Fury was remarkably relaxed as he faced a man rated as one of the hardest punchers in history.
The 34-year-old American was upset at his team for stopping the fight, but there was very little room for debate; he was done. There was blood coming from his left ear as he struggled to keep his balance after copping a big Fury right hand in the third.
Fury landed 58 power punches, compared to Wilder’s 18 in the fight. The Brit is now the only undefeated boxer in the heavyweight division’s starstudded triangle; Wilder joining Anthony Joshua with a ‘1’ in the loss column.
“The best man won tonight, I make no excuses ... but I wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield, I’m a warrior,” Wilder said.
It was the first defeat for Wilder in 44 fights in the 11th defence of the title he secured in 2015.
“He [Wilder] is a warrior, he will be back, he will be a champion again,” Fury said. “But I will say, the king has returned to the top of the pole.“
Fury had bulked up to 124kg for the rematch, vowing to change tactics and become the big puncher. He was true to his word. Wilder reportedly has a rematch clause but a trilogy bout can hopefully wait until Fury meets fellow Brit Anthony Joshua in what would be a huge spectacle in the UK.