THE PUNCH OF A LIFETIME!
Fury thrills 94,000 at Wembley to end it in the sixth
TYSON FURY reiterated his intention to retire from boxing after he stopped Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of their Battle of Britain to retain his world heavyweight title in front of a record British crowd at Wembley Stadium last night.
After a largely ugly brawl in front of 94,000 fans, the self-styled Gypsy King floored Whyte with a brutal uppercut that thudded off the challenger’s chin and sent him tumbling to the canvas.
Whyte rose to his feet but was unsteady on his legs, prompting referee Mark Lyson to rightly wave off the fight.
It means Fury retained his WBC belt, but afterwards the 33-year-old said he could now hang up his gloves.
‘This might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King, what a way to go out,’ he said.
‘I promised my wife that would be it after the Deontay Wilder fight but I got offered a fight at Wembley and I owed it to the fans.
‘From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone who came here tonight. I’m overwhelmed by the support.
‘Dillian Whyte is a warrior, I believe Dillian will be a world champion but tonight he met a great in the sport.
‘You are not messing with a mediocre heavyweight, you are messing with the best man on the planet.’
Whyte had struggled to land anything on an in-control Fury before he walked on to that head-spinning shot.
Shortly after 10pm, Fury had emerged for his first fight in Britain for nearly four years, draped in the colours of St George as the crowd sung American Pie.
He took his place upon a throne and then ran to the ring, where Whyte awaited the title shot he has craved for five years.
The challenger made the curious decision to box southpaw during a quiet opening round before reverting to type as the fight settled into a predictable pattern, Whyte looking to land with long, looping shots while Fury controlled from range.
Neither landed much during the opening exchanges before referee Lyson dished out lectures to both fighters as heads clashed and the action grew increasingly messy.
In round five, a firm Fury jab stiffened Whyte’s legs. Then in the sixth, after Fury trash-talked in Whyte’s ear as they clinched, that vicious uppercut closed the show and sealed Fury’s 32nd career win.