LONDON — If Tyson Fury’s tenuous retirement vow holds true, the undefeated “Gypsy King” will end his championship run with one of his best career knockouts via a one-punch uppercut stoppage of Dillian Whyte tonight at Wembley Stadium.
Whyte tried to surprise the champion by starting off southpaw but found little success closing the distance. Fury used his footwork to keep Whyte on the wrong end of long jabs and occasional straight right counters. As the rounds progressed, a frustrated Whyte flailed clumsily with haymaker rights and inside grappling. Fury returned the roughhousing in kind, prompting the ref to warn both several times to keep it clean.
In the sixth, Fury exploded with a sneaky counter right uppercut and push-off that toppled Whyte backwards. The challenger beat the count but couldn’t walk without stumbling into the ropes, causing the ref stoppage and awarding Fury his third consecutive knockout.
“Dillian Whyte is a warrior,” said Fury of the challenger’s performance. “And I believe that Dillian will be a world champion. But tonight, he met a great in the sport. I’m one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. And unfortunately for Dillian Whyte, he had to face me here tonight. There’s no disgrace. He’s a tough, game man. He’s as strong as a bull. He’s got the heart of a lion. But you’re not messing with a mediocre heavyweight. You’re messing with the best man on the planet. And you saw that tonight with what happened.”
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 