Tyson Fury eased to victory on the occasion of his first fight in Las Vegas as he furthered his reputation as the world's finest heavyweight by stopping Germany's Tom Schwarz in the second round.
Fulfilling a lifelong ambition of finally fighting in the Sin City, at the revered MGM Grand, he showed a destructive edge he has rarely previously demonstrated to justify the significant interest he has generated in the US since his fight with Deontay Wilder.
Fury had perhaps re-established himself as the world's leading heavyweight with December's thrilling draw against the American, when his performance deserved victory, and his reputation grew to such an extent he signed a lucrative contract to fight on ESPN out of the US against an unremarkable opponent.
Concerns persisted that the rounded abilities he traditionally favours over power and strength meant he would win without the sense of drama generated against Wilder and instead effortlessly out-jab Schwarz in the same way he once did Dereck Chisora, but he instead fought to make a statement and succeeded in doing exactly that.
Wearing the US stars and stripes to and in the ring in an obvious attempt to further his growing popularity among Americans, he made a typically fast start to highlight the extent of the challenge the 25-year-old Schwarz faced.
After years of promising to never set foot in Las Vegas unless he was there to fight, Tyson Fury finally takes his place among the other main attractions on The Strip this Saturday.
But although his face this week adorns billboards all over the most famous corner of the Nevada desert, vying for space alongside David Copperfield and Cirque du Soleil, Fury insists his own particular show is now over.
The self-anointed ‘Gypsy King’, who faces undefeated German Tom Schwarz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night, has often been one of the sport’s biggest contradictions.
A 6ft 9in heavyweight with more agility than a lot of boxers half his size, a man who has spoken of his desire to clinch the WBC title which continues to elude him while also insisting that championship belts belong in the dustbin. Someone who says money means nothing to him but then highlights the size of the pay-check for this weekend’s work as a means to stave off complacency against Schwarz.
After applying the finishing touches to his Las Vegas training camp, Fury admits he has been happy to adopt a persona at odds with his own personality during a professional boxing career which turned 10 years old in December. Over a decade on, the 30-year-old is adamant his acting days are over despite the glitz and glamour of his Las Vegas debut.
Josh Warrington outlines plan after defending world title vs Kid Galahad
Josh Warrington admitted his frustration after squeaking out an unsatisfactory split decision win over Kid Galahad to retain his IBF featherweight title in Leeds.
The home favourite had to dig deep to keep hold of his title in a fight far removed from his previous all-action title clashes with Lee Selby and Carl Frampton.
The home favourite gained the verdict by 116-112 and 116-113 on two of the judges' scorecards with Howard Foster favouring the challenger by 115-113.Warrington admitted: "I think there was a lot of expectation after my last two performances, but they're not all going to be fights of the year.
"Everyone builds it up like it's going to be a war but I knew he was going to come with that typical Sheffield style.
"There were times when he was holding and grabbing the back of my head. You've got to come into a champion's back-yard and take it off him, and that didn't happen."
Tyson Fury fights for the first time in Las Vegas, against Germany's Tom Schwarz at the MGM Grand, on Saturday night.
Fury was 18st 11lbs at Friday's weigh-in, significantly heavier than his opponent, who was 17st 7.5lbs.
Here, Press Association Sport examines how the two fighters compare.
Fury v Schwarz:
30 Age 25
28 Fights 24
27 Wins 24
19 KOs 16
1 Draws 0
0 Losses 0
172 Rounds boxed 89
6ft 9in Height 6ft 5.5in
Orthodox Stance Orthodox
85in/216cm Reach N/A
18st 11lbs Weight 17st 7.5lbs
When Tyson Fury turned heavyweight boxing on its head in 2015 by toppling Wladimir Klitschko, a 22-year-old German by the name of Tom Schwarz watched on from the crowd after shelling out over £700 on a ticket.
Like many, Schwarz had expected the Ukrainian icon to despatch the upstart from the north of England and continue his reign of dominance as the division's undisputed king. It all went wrong for Klitschko that night and things did not go so well for Fury in the months that followed.
“I was in the crowd as a fan that night,” Schwarz tells the Independent. “I paid €800, man!”
“I enjoyed it a lot. After the sixth round I said to my friend: 'Fuck, I think Tyson Fury is going to win this'. I didn't imagine I'd end up fighting him myself here in Vegas.”
After claiming the WBO, WBA and IBF titles on that night in the Esprit Arena, a well-documented battle against drink, drugs and crippling depression prevented Fury from ever defending the belts. He returned to the ring 12 months ago and what he describes as his 'second career' is now three fights old.
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Tyson Fury vs Tom Schwarz
Look out for Barrera shortly, who has only lost to Andre Ward and Dmitry Bivol, a win against the seasoned Jesse Hart puts him back in the mix for a title.
The 25-year-old Schwarz will be unfamiliar to most UK fight fans having fought in Germany for his entire career aside from two forays into the Czech Republic.
His most notable win came against Senad Gashi – who lost a drear decision to Dereck Chisora in April - and Schwarz actually appeared to struggle in that fight before his opponent was disqualified for persistent headbutts.
He is listed at 6’5” and usually weighs in around the 240lbs mark.
Tom Kershaw: Fury should win this bout comfortably but may use the early rounds to test his leaner physique and exhibit his typically showman-like style before forcing a stoppage in the mid-to-late rounds.
Jack Rathborn: Fury will be more focused here than in his initial warm-up bouts before the Wilder fight. The sharper, cleaner shots will help reveal the clear disparity in levels between the fighters and a mid-round stoppage will generate the ideal momentum ahead of the Wilder rematch.
Luke Brown: Fury has a chance to stamp his authority on the division and prove he is the No 1, despite Schwarz's limited arsenal. An efficient display, dispatching Schwarz inside the distance will at least bolster his claim, so expect Fury to put the foot on the gas in the late rounds to get rid of his man.
Lineal heavyweight champion of the world Tyson Fury will take on Germany's Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas on Saturday night, with millions of boxing fans around the world set to tune in for the contest.
The fight will be broadcast live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK and via ESPN+ in the US, with the main event expected to begin at around 4am BST. The match-up and its undercard fights will cost UK fans a one-off payment of £19.95, however millions are expected to turn to illegal means to watch the so-called 'Gypsy King'.
Fury's last fight against WBC champion Deontay Wilder, which ended in a controversial draw, attracted an illegal audience of nearly 10 million viewers, according to figures from online piracy authority MUSO.
These views came from hundreds of illegal streaming domains, though the most popular way of watching the fight online for free was via YouTube.
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