After defending his WBC heavyweight title against fellow Briton Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury announced his intention to retire from boxing.
The fight took place at Wembley Stadium in London before a crowd of 94,000 – a post-war record to watch a boxing match in the UK. Most were there to see the man known as the “Gypsy King” and the chance to glimpse him in action if he holds firm to his word to quit the sport.
Although it had been heavily billed as a close fight, few supporters of Whyte could have made much of a case for their man to have won any of the first five rounds. They were scrappy, but the much shorter man struggled to lay any meaningful blows on Fury as the champion kept landing with his jab.
It was his left jab that helped set-up what proved to be the fatal punch in the sixth round. He led with the jab and as Whyte lurched forward into range, Fury unleashed a brutal uppercut that set the challenger crashing to the canvas.
Whyte bravely got to his feet before the end of the count, but was unsteady on his legs and clearly in no fit state to continue, as the fight was stopped.
The win was Fury’s 33rd. He intends to retire as the only heavyweight in history to retire unbeaten after Rocky Marciano. If he does stick to his word – something he has promised his wife after his brutal encounters with Delray Wilder – he will miss out on the chance to fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
That would be an enormous pay day, but he may feel that he has already earned enough from the sport. The longer it goes on, the more risk there is of tarnishing his legacy.
His career has not been without controversy. He made homophobic and sexist remarks during an interview after his first world title fight, has previously tested positive for a banned substance, and has admitted to struggles with mental health and reliance on drink and drugs to help him deal with depression.
Nevertheless, if this was his swansong, it was a great way to go out in front of his own British fans.