Tyson Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in what is arguably his toughest test to date – where a win would see him become the first four-belt undisputed champion in the history of the division. Here, we look at his best performances to date, as the era of ‘The Gypsy King’ reaches its defining climax.
5. John McDermott II
At first glance, a Tyson Fury victory over John McDermott does not stand out to the naked eye, but this stoppage victory came nine months after their initial encounter that many felt ‘Big Bad John’ had won.
Instead, referee Terry O’ Connor bizarrely scored the bout 98-92 in favour of a young Fury, costing McDermott his English heavyweight title and leading to demands for a rematch.
However, in their second meeting it was Fury who came out on top and there could be no complaints. A tiresome battle saw Fury outlast his rival, dropping him in the eighth-round and twice in the ninth with the last of those knockdowns resulting in the contest being waived off by the referee.
Although John McDermott may not be the biggest name on Fury’s résumé, he was certainly one of his most arduous triumphs.
4. Dillian Whyte
After winning and defending the WBC heavyweight title across the pond, Tyson Fury returned to Old Blighty to make a second defence of the belt against mandatory challenger and fellow countryman Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.
‘The Body Snatcher’ had been waiting years for a shot at world honours and came in fresh off of a career best performance in his rematch with Alexander Povetkin, in what was his first outing under new trainers Xavier Miller and Harold Knight.
In front of 94,000 fans, Tyson Fury put an end to any chances of an upset from the resurgent challenger, dominating from the opening bell before landing a peach of an uppercut to bring the fight to a close in the sixth-round and convince the world of boxing that he truly was the best heavyweight on the planet at that time.
3. Deontay Wilder III
When it was confirmed that Fury would face Wilder for a third time, fans around the globe let off a sigh off disappointment, believing Fury to have proven himself to be comfortably better than the hard-hitting American in their first two affairs.
Yet, in terms of the fight itself, the Wilder trilogy clash turned out to be the most legendary battle on Fury’s record – a five knockdown thriller.
It seemed as though it was par for the course as Fury knocked down ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in the third, visibly hurting the former champ and appearing set to meet expectations with another knockout win.
As he chased the stoppage, Wilder countered with an earth-shattering shot that stunned and dropped Fury, before knocking the Brit down for a second time as the upset loomed.
Somehow, Fury recovered between rounds and rallied to score two more knockdowns of his own, the last of which turned Wilder’s lights out and secured him an iconic, gruelling win.
2. Deontay Wilder II
Fury’s struggles away from the ring and miraculous comeback went unrewarded when he upset the odds against Wilder in the first fight – the judges declaring the bout as an eyebrow-raising draw.
However, in the final-round of that contest, Fury laid out the foundations for the dramatic rematch and learnt that the way to defeat one of the most prodigious punchers of all-time was to meet fire with fire.
When Fury was tasked with Wilder for a second time, he had no intentions of allowing the scrap to go the judges and ditched trainer Ben Davison to appoint SugarHill Steward and adopt the aggressive ‘Kronk’ style of fighting.
Here, Fury showed her versatility and adaptability to take a front-footed approach and deliver one of the most one-sided beatdowns ever witnessed in a heavyweight title bout, conclusively knocking Wilder out in seventh-round.
1. Wladimir Klitschko
For us, Tyson Fury’s best win has got to be his unanimous-decision victory over Wladimir Klitschko back in 2015, where he ended the almost nine-year reign of ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ and became the unified heavyweight champion.
Germany was and still is seen as a tough place to win a decision as the away fighter, but Fury shocked the boxing universe to put on a boxing clinic and earn the reward that no judge could have possibly denied him off, schooling Klitschko in a scrappy war to the untrained eye but a masterclass to that of a pugilist.
The fact that Fury can win in this way and in the manner that he did in the second fight with Wilder, coupled with his six-foot-nine stature, is what makes him standout as a tough challenge for any heavyweight of the past.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.