TYSON FURY underlined his position as the best heavyweight of his generation with a stunning six-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium. A perfect right uppercut, thrown in close and at full pelt, stole Whyte’s senses before a follow-up shove took his feet. The challenger courageously regained his footing but was in no condition to continue.
Fury afterwards suggested he wouldn’t be continuing, either. “I think this is it,” said the 33-year-old. “It might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King.”
It seems hard to believe that Fury, who is not only the best of his time but surely one of the best of all-time, could walk away after a performance like that. But maybe he will. After all, he’s been surprising us since he turned professional in 2009. Since then, he has fought 33 times and not once been defeated.
Whyte had been waiting a long time for this chance. Despite being the leading contender in the WBC rankings the Brixton man was forced to take legal action against the sanctioning body to secure his shot.
But it was Daniel Kinahan who cast the biggest shadow over proceedings after he was sanctioned by the US government for numerous alleged drug crimes 10 days before the fight. It triggered a domino effect that saw all promoters distance themselves from Kinahan and MTK Global, the management group he co-founded in 2012, fall in a matter of days.
Fury, who used to be advised by the Irishman, was forced to answer awkwardly and unconvincingly when the inevitable questioning came his way during fight week. After being grilled by Sky Sports on Tuesday, Fury closed by saying he would never do an interview with the channel again. It wasn’t a good look for the world heavyweight champion but it’s only fair to say he is one of countless fighters, including several others to wear world title belts, who has worked with Kinahan in the past. The timing of the US Treasury’s sanctioning of Kinahan, 10 days before Fury’s homecoming showdown, did the Gypsy King about as many favours as his decision to work with the alleged mobster in the first place.
However, come fight night, boxing had again brushed off any negative press and Fury, just like he always does, proved that while he’ll never be perfect outside the ring he’s hard to fault once there. And tonight he exhibited his brilliance as both a fighter and a showman. Inside the ropes is where Fury thrives. It’s where life makes the most sense to him.
The two rivals were exceptionally respectful in the build-up, almost oddly so. That continued to a degree in the first round as Whyte, 34, opened the contest as a southpaw and Fury kept his distance behind his jab. The challenger may have nicked the session as he stepped in and scored with leads of his own, aimed almost exclusively at Tyson’s body. But to say Whyte was convincing as a leftie is perhaps going too far.
Dillian began the second in the more familiar orthodox stance. It wasn’t long before he bowled over a right hand designed to put the favourite to sleep. But Fury’s artful movement and unteachable anticipation made the blow look amateurish in the extreme. By the end of the session, though Whyte threatened occasionally, the world champion was in control. He would not relinquish it.
In the fourth and fifth rounds, Fury’s punches were as spiteful as Whyte’s were wayward. The Londoner was breathing heavily, he was growing ever more careless. Fury, in sharp contrast, was on his toes and scoring with his jab and trailing left hook.
The ending was savage, the perfomance largely faultless. Whyte was made to look ordinary. And the extraordinary Tyson Fury made us all realise how much we’ll miss him if that really was the end.