A bar in Ghent, in front of a flickering TV feed from Düsseldorf, through a forest of bobbing heads, might not have been the ideal vantage point from which to watch a fight that, even from ringside, must have been hard to judge.
But one reality roared through the screen: Tyson Fury outfoxed the fox. He did what David Haye thought he could do to Wladimir Klitschko more than four years ago when the champion was at his very peak, but failed to execute. He took away his boxing; nearly every time his lauded opponent loaded up that big right hand, Fury would feint, jab, hold or move. It confused and confounded Klitschko to the point that he lost control of the fight and his frustrations showed.
It did not make for a great spectacle, but that was not the objective. Fury went there to take Klitschko’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts (as well as the peripheral IBO title), not to mention linear honours, the sport’s proper crown, stretching back through the decades and giving the man from Manchester a notional connection to some of the sport’s outstanding champions.
Any temptation to underplay Fury’s achievement should be sternly resisted.
For all that the loser was 39, he had ruled for 11 years and, without dissent, was regarded as the finest heavyweight since Lennox Lewis. He’d had more world title fights, 28, than Fury had fights, 24. He had defended his title 19 times. He was all but invincible. And he lost to a contender he regarded as a clown.
But he couldn’t pull the trigger when it mattered. For all his skill, power, pedigree and experience, Klitschko was unable to find a way of properly nailing his man. There were a few hefty blows here and there, most dramatically in the final round when he might have realised he was behind and both fighters were exhausted, but there were a lot of close rounds, where the action was ragged and inconclusive.
So, what now for Fury? He is 27, unbeaten and a hero in his community, the first Traveller to win the world heavyweight title. That is quite something. It is up to his manager, Mick Hennessy, to negotiate the best deal for his first defence – and talk of an immediate rematch with Klitschko is worrying; if there was not a get-out clause in his contract and the beaten Ukrainian is handed a chance to reclaim his titles, then the pre-fight negotiations must have been very one-sided indeed.
He needs an opponent who is credible, obviously, but not threatening: perhaps Dillian Whyte if he performs well against Anthony Joshua next month; maybe the unbeaten Australian Lucas Browne, an honest performer of moderate skill.
If he hangs on to his title, there is the prospect of a mega-fight with Joshua. That would fill Wembley five times over – and that is why Fury should avoid a return with Klitschko for as long as possible, although he would not see it that way. He has never shied away from challengers.
There is also Deontay Wilder to consider. The undefeated American knockout artist holds the WBC version and for all his imposing physical presence, has yet to be fully extended. I have my doubts about how genuine a talent he is, although he is a very good athlete with a very big punch. And he is American. There is money to be made there one day.
For now, Fury should be allowed at least a little time to reflect on the scale of his achievement. He says he cares not much for the trappings of wealth. That sentiment has yet to undergo the stress factor of spreading fame.
Fury said beforehand that, win, lose or draw, he would return to his Gypsy roots and live a quiet life in a caravan. That might happen, but I somehow doubt it will be soon. He will be hurled on to a merry-go-round of some TV executive’s making and it could overwhelm him.
He is a fragile man, for all his imposing qualities as the main man in his calling. He has admitted to bouts of depression. There is a wildness and candour to his nature that is endearing and dangerous, to him, at least. He has said some unfortunate things, and he surely regrets them.
As the supposed standard bearer of a business that struggles for integrity at the best of times, he might like to curb his enthusiasms – without losing the inner energy that makes him what he is.
He is certainly not going to be a dull champion.
