Tyson Fury capped off his illustrious heavyweight career on Saturday with a sixth-round knockout of fellow countryman Dillian Whyte to retain the WBC belt and preserve his unbeaten record which now stands at 32 wins (23 by KO), one draw, and zero defeats. The bout, taking place at London’s historic Wembley Stadium, was viewed by a massive crowd of 94,000 people – making it the sixth highest attended boxing match in history.
The Gypsy King at His Best
The 6 foot 9 inch Fury displayed the best of what has made him such a unique combination of daunting size and elegant finesse when he unleashed a devastating, lightning fast right uppercut that connected flush on the chin of Whyte, sending the 34-year-old crashing to the mat.
Fury judged his distance well, setting up the knockout with a jab before delivering the final punch as Whyte tried to close the distance and move inside. The interim WBC heavyweight champion Whyte was able to get to his feet but staggered when ordered to walk to the referee, resulting in the fight being called. The outcome marks the third time that Dillian Whyte was undone by the uppercut, with all three of the Body Snatcher’s career defeats coming by way of the same punch.
Reaction and Retirement Speculation
Fury had nothing but respect for his opponent after the final bell, saying of Whyte: “Dillian Whyte is a warrior and I believe he will be world champion” before later adding: “There is no disgrace. He is a tough, game man. He is as strong as a bull and has the heart of a lion.”
Fury was adamant in the build-up to the fight that this would be his last and the 33-year-old confirmed those sentiments in the immediate aftermath of the fight, saying: “I promised my lovely wife Paris that after the third fight with Deontay Wilder that would be it and I meant it.” Fury explained his decision to take the Whyte fight by saying: “I then got offered to fight at Wembley and I thought I owed it to the fans, to every person in the United Kingdom to come here and fight.” He finished by saying: “Now it’s all done I have to be a man of my word. I think this is it, it might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King, and what a way to go out!”
Potential future fights
There certainly would be a number of enticing offers on the table for Fury if he were to have a change of heart. The winner of the upcoming Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk bout would of course be at the top of the fan’s wish list. It’s hard to say who would be favored in that situation and sportsbooks can sometimes vary in their odds – making a resource such as SportyTrader, which makes it easy to compare the best online bookmakers, a valuable tool.
An exhibition match against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has also been tipped as a possibility and is a fight that Fury himself has expressed interest in taking.
Boxing has a long history of fighters coming out of retirement and getting back in the ring so it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Gypsy King back in there. But for now, Fury goes down as one of boxing’s greatest ever heavyweights in what has been an immensely entertaining 14-year career.
