Tyson Fury broke down in tears inside the ring after he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko with a deserved unanimous decision as he outboxed the Ukrainian.
Fury produced a major upset by defeating Klitschko on points at ESPRIT Arena on Saturday, November 28, claiming the world heavyweight championship in the process, with both the victory and the celebration being far from routine. Fury deservedly took a unanimous decision 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111.
The fight started in typical cage fashion, with both Wladimir and Tyson feeling each other out in the first three rounds.
The final three rounds became a knock down fest, with both fighters failing to land any substantial punches. Fury caught the champion with successive jabs at the beginning of the fourth but it was already clear that this was fiendishly hard to score.
Klitschko has 67 fights to his name, winning 64. Fury has 24 wins from 24 encounters but has not faced anyone of Klitschko's caliber before.
Fury inspected the ring in the morning and was unhappy that it was too soft because Klitschko's team had laid three layers of two-inch foam underneath.
Fury had a point deducted for hitting behind the head in the 11th and both fighters gave their all in a furious final round before raising their arms in celebration. The Fury camp's celebrations seemed more sincere.
Tyson Fury, who is of Irish-Gypsy heritage and comes from a bloodline of bare-knuckle champions on both sides of his family, finally lived up to his name.
Fury, 12 years younger than the 39-year-old Klitschko, taunted and baited the champion at various stages, prompting jeers from fans at the 55,000-seat soccer stadium in Duesseldorf.
Klitschko began dating American actress Hayden Panettiere. The actress has appeared ringside at some of Klitschko's fights, including at Klitschko's 10th round KO victory over Samuel Peter. The couple broke up in May 2011, but as of April 2013 had renewed their relationship. In October 2013, the couple confirmed that they are engaged.
