World champion goes as a boxing legend
The magician Fury and his greatest trick
By Andreas von Thien & Till Erdenberger
4/24/2022 1:34 p.m
Tyson Fury is a boxing legend: With his victory against Dillian Whyte he resigns as undefeated heavyweight world champion. The fight is rather unspectacular up to the last action, but the show is big. And provides evidence that Fury can really surprise this time.
If you believe Tyson Fury, it all ended with a powerful, brute uppercut. In the sixth round of the mega-fight in front of 94,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, the world champion’s fist flew into the chin of the hopeless challenger Dillian Whyte, who immediately fell over and only staggered to his feet. The fight was over prematurely and with it the career of world champion Fury, who had promoted the duel as his last fight. “It was the crashing end of the fight and this career, it was like several New Year’s Eves at once,” enthused RTL / ntv boxing expert Andreas von Thien about Fury’s “squeaky clean uppercut”. “Perfect angle, walking backwards, a boxing feat that Fury revealed at that moment. A very, very spectacular ending.”
What one could expect from Fury was then offered by the record backdrop. Fury is a loudmouth who delivers. Or as von Thien says: “Fury knows how to get the perfect moment over and over again. When it comes down to it, he does exactly the right thing. That applies to sport in the ring and that applies to the show around it. He is the biggest number in boxing and set a monument for himself last night.” For a long time it was hard to foresee that this would happen, the Brit’s CV is too unstable. The eternally scandalous heavyweight boxing as a stage for charismatic loudmouths and hard-to-tame street thugs had discovered his heart for the sober boxing strategists at the latest with the triumph of the eloquent Klitschkos.
“I was unbeatable”
The huge, not always fully trained Fury was considered a freak for a long time, especially next to the sober Klitschkos. But after beating Wladimir Klitschko, the man from Manchester was world champion of the four major associations in 2015. A brutal crash followed with positive doping tests, drug addiction, manic depression and suicidal thoughts. But Fury came back – and became world champion again. And now he’s leaving – reportedly – as one of the greatest ever to emerge from the sport, which has always produced heroes and legends.
Until the knockout, the fight, which promoter Frank Warren paid £41million for and sold out in two hours, was no spectacle. On the contrary, he rather splashed along. Limited mandatory challenger Whyte never came close to making an impact hit, the much larger Fury controlling action with pinpricks. Then, just before the end of the sixth lap, Whyte was hit hard. “Fury was always the master in the ring, even if he was a bit surprisingly a lot in reverse. He boxed out Whyte – and then suddenly did something extraordinary. That’s Fury’s great quality.”
If Fury actually stops after 32 wins and a draw in 33 professional fights and resigns as an undefeated world champion, boxing loses one of its greatest attractions. “It’s a great loss for boxing, no other boxer has the qualities of Fury,” says von Thien. No one else mobilizes more people and no one entertains them better than the 33-year-old, who after the fight, barely drawn into the bulging giant arena, called out: “I still have something for you”, and then intoned the evergreen “American Pie”, he also briefly had previously gone to the ring. “I’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve,” said the 33-year-old. “I’m quitting as the second undefeated heavyweight after Rocky Marciano. I was unbeatable in that game.”
“I’ll take that from him”
Fury had already announced his departure several times in the course of his career, and he had always come back. That’s why there are remaining doubts this time, especially since there is actually still a fight against Anthony Joshua. It was already certain and was considered the greatest duel in modern heavyweight boxing – but then Klitschko conqueror Joshua lost with a crash against the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and has to repeat his titles in a rematch first. Von Thien, who has followed Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko around the boxing world for years and witnessed Wladimir lose to Joshua in his last fight, believes it’s really over this time.
“I’ll take that from him,” says the expert. “There was so much symbolism in this whole show at the most mythical site that English sport has to offer, on the biggest stage. He sat on the golden throne once more when he marched in, he fought as king and he resigns as king. It was an emotional film about his career that really got everyone going. He ended up singing ‘Bye, bye, Mrs. American Pie.’ From the whole staging it was a hint that this time it’s serious.” And then there are the hard facts: Fury will soon be 34 years old, he has “$150 million in the bank” is “young and healthy. I’m going to buy a huge yacht abroad.” Fury is the father of six children, he promised his wife that it was really over.
Ms. Fury is already moderating the return
“I promised my wonderful wife, and I meant it seriously. It’s all done. I stand by my word,” said the undefeated world champion in the first few minutes of his retirement. But Paris Fury of all people then opened the door to return a little. “I think the only reason for a comeback would be a unification fight.” Fury holds the WBC title, the Ukrainian Usyk, who inflicted a terrible defeat on Joshua, is world champion in the WBA, WBO and IBF associations. “I think Usyk will win the rematch too,” von Thien predicted. “Simply because he’s much better at boxing. In the first fight he mercilessly exposed Joshua’s weaknesses and consistently exploited them. He will dominate in the second fight as well.”
If the Ukrainian, who is impressively strong in boxing, wins, Fury’s desire to return should be significantly reduced. The strategically brilliant, technically outstanding and powerful as well as agile Usyk could be too dangerous for Fury, who values his invincibility status so much. Of course, “there’s a lot of money in the ring,” says von Thien, but he doesn’t believe in a comeback against Usyk either. After all, Fury says he has “more money than I can spend in a million lives”.
And if Joshua wins? “Fury made it clear that he’s number one, he doesn’t have to prove it against Joshua anymore. This fight has been negotiated for years, then it burst. I think the Joshua issue is so far away for him meanwhile, it’s over.” The only scenario that could motivate Fury again would be a brilliant knockout victory for Joshua, says von Thien, even if that “would be extremely surprising”. Yes, “there is a residual risk,” smiles von Thien. “Fury is the magician of boxing who has fooled us many times.” Resist Fury’s temptation to return, it would be the greatest trick of perhaps the greatest wizard of his craft.