Tyson Fury retained his WBC heavyweight title with a one-sided beatdown of Derek Chisora which ended with a 10th-round stoppage.
It was Fury’s third win over his British rival, with referee Victor Loughlin mercifully stepping in to stop the fight – although the end could have come two to three rounds earlier from Chisora’s corner.
The Fury Show rumbles on, and in front of 60,000 spectators on a night of chills and thrills, the ‘Gypsy King’ wasted no time in calling out his rivals for next year, starting with Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the other three heavyweight belts.
The Ukrainian, who has twice beaten Anthony Joshua, was ringside for the bout and Fury beckoned him to a neutral corner of the ring afterwards.
As Usyk climbed up on to the ring Fury ranted at him: “You are next… me and you sucker, next – you’re getting it”.
Fury described the WBA, WBO and IBF champion as “a 15-stone little midget” and vowed “to write [you] off…I’ve already beaten one Ukrainian, Klitschko, and I’ll do you as well”.
Usyk stared back, unmoved, as Fury called him “a little sausage” before turning his attention to Joe Joyce, the undefeated Briton, who Fury suggested he could also fight next year. “If this guy [Usyk] doesn’t want to fight, we can meet at Wembley Stadium.”
Fury told Telegraph Sport: “I’ll fight all of them, I fear none of them. I might need a little surgery on my elbow and arm next year as it has been troubling me a bit, but there is no retiring for me. I’ll fight all the heavyweights of the era, and I’ll beat them all.”
There was also praise for the obdurate Chisora, outclassed and slowly roasted over 10 rounds by the heavy hands of the man proving himself the master of the heavyweights in this era.
“What a tough man. I was hitting him with shots there that would’ve knocked anyone else spark out but he stood up to all of them,” said Fury. “He was calling me a little b—- in there, saying ‘you can hit harder than that’.”
“I felt good, I needed some rounds as I haven’t boxed since April,” he added. “I felt like I landed my jab and landed some good punches. But take nothing away from [Chisora] he’s an absolute warrior and a British folk hero. It’s been a privilege to fight him three times. We all love Derek Chisora.”
At the end of the ninth, referee Loughlin had warned Chisora’s corner that he would not allow the challenger to take too much more punishment. And rightly so.
Fury had dominated every round, using his ringcraft and skills and dominating from mid-range while clinching with Chisora to nullify any danger in close quarters. Even from the early rounds, it was easy to witness the muscle memory of the two previous fights returning to the mind of Chisora.
By the eighth round it had turned into a slow and brutal dismantling which was painful to watch, but Chisora, a proud fighter, refused to buckle or go down.
The challenger absorbed cuffing punches from the Gypsy King’s left hand and countless uppercuts.
John Fury, the champion’s father, said he thought his son had not wanted to unleash a finish on Chisora after six rounds, but had held back from hurting his foe. Maybe. But Fury’s skills have put him above the rest who have so far been unable to blemish his unbeaten 34-fight career.
Bob Arum and Frank Warren both told Telegraph Sport on Saturday night that all roads will now lead to an undisputed heavyweight fight with Usyk in the Middle East, likely in March, with Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krussyk confirming their side is fully committed.
“We want the fight, they want the fight, so it will be announced soon,” Warren said, while Arum nodded in agreement. “Fury is very special, very very special. We are in coats, hats gloves and scarves on a winter night outdoors. This Fury guy is really special. As special as when I was promoting Muhammad Ali.”
The added plus here was Joyce joining the mix, and given that he is promoted by Warren, it makes it all the more intriguing for Fury in 2023. Right now, that fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua looks further away than ever.