Fury swats away a sorry Schwarz

Fight stopped in Round 2, fastest win for Briton in a decade; stage set for showdown with Wilder

British boxer Tyson Fury pulverising Tom Schwarz in their heavyweight fight in Las Vegas on Saturday. Fury gave the German a bloody nose before a flurry of uninterrupted shots prompted the referee to intervene just as his corner threw in the towel in the second round. PHOTOS: REUTERS, DPA
Fury (above) making his grand entrance before the bout, dressed as Apollo Creed, the fictional flamboyant boxer from the Rocky movie franchise.

LAS VEGAS • Tyson Fury did exactly what he was supposed to do in the ring against an over-matched opponent, wasting no time before closing the show in just his fourth bout since returning from a 31-month layoff after battling mental illness, obesity, as well as drug and alcohol problems.

The Briton stopped unheralded German Tom Schwarz in the second round on Saturday night before a crowd of 9,012 at the MGM Grand, delivering his fastest win in nearly a decade on his Las Vegas debut.

The manner of the dominant win also set the stage for a showdown with fellow undefeated American boxer Deontay Wilder early next year in a rematch of their December classic, which ended in a controversial draw.

This one, a showcase fight in every sense, was not quite as dramatic, as Fury (28 wins and one draw with 20 knockouts) peppered Schwarz with jabs from the opening bell.

He had come out to rapturous applause after making his ring entrance dressed as Apollo Creed, the fictional flamboyant boxer from the Rocky movie franchise, while jiving to James Brown's single, Living In America.

Fury also fought like him , displaying impressive head movement and he gave Schwarz a bloody nose before a flurry of uninterrupted shots prompted referee Kenny Bayless to intervene just as his corner threw in the towel.

It marked his fastest victory since a first-round knockout of German Hans-Joerg Blasko in 2010 and, afterwards, the 30-year-old revealed his intention to fight once more this year - on either Sept 21 or Oct 5 - before stepping back in with World Boxing Council champion Wilder.

"The key tonight was to enjoy myself," said Fury, who handed Schwarz his first career loss before capping his night with a rendition of the Aerosmith song I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.

He added: "I felt like it was my coming-out party. I wanted to show a few things to the American public to introduce myself properly.

"Tonight, I showed a little bit of speed, boxing skill, an ability to slip and slide and, most importantly, to finish. Deontay Wilder is coming... It's the biggest fight in world boxing, and the biggest we'll see for the next few years. It doesn't get any bigger."

His American promoter, Top Rank impresario Bob Arum, was equally enthused, likening Fury to one of the sport's all-time greats, the late Muhammad Ali, before predicting the Wilder rematch could break the pay-per-view record set by the 2015 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao super fight.

He added: "That was amazing, he is a force of nature. This was one of the great shows I've ever seen and not just because of the boxing. He's an entertainer. He is truly unique.

"Now that he's in shape, he can knock out every heavyweight in the world. Wilder is not going five rounds with him. We will have another fight, then Wilder.

"I haven't seen a fighter with that much charisma since Muhammad Ali. I've been around a long time and this guy is right now easily the best heavyweight in the world, maybe one of the all-time best heavyweights."

REUTERS,THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 17, 2019, with the headline Fury swats away a sorry Schwarz. Subscribe