Tyson Fury insists he is just a “normal person who got lucky” enough to become the new world heavyweight boxing champion and is already relishing a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko.
The 27-year-old Fury shook up world boxing on Saturday by securing a unanimous points win over Klitschko to snatch the Ukrainian’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
Fury singlehandedly brought a heavyweight era to an end in Dusseldorf by inflicting a first defeat on Klitschko for 11 years to end his run of 19 consecutive defenses.
Photo: AFP
Klitschko was dethroned as world champion after nine years, six months, and the win sealed Fury’s place in boxing history as Britain’s first heavyweight belt holder since David Haye lost his WBA title to Klitschko in 2011.
Fury is contractually obliged to offer a rematch and the new champion said he would have no problem returning to Germany to face Klitschko next year.
“It doesn’t matter to me where I fight — Japan, Uzbekistan, wherever it has to be,” the 27-year-old Fury said. “I’d like to come back to Germany, because I got a good reception from the fans. It was my night and if I’m going to be half a good a champion as Klitschko, I’ll be very happy.”
Photo: EPA
Such is the scale of Fury’s achievement that the WBC belt is the only main title now missing from his collection.
However, he scoffed at any talk of facing WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder of the US before the Klitschko rematch.
“Why do we need to mention Deontay Wilder? Let’s laugh at his name, shall we?” Fury said. “Wladimir Klitschko was the number one in the division. This man has been on top of the world and reigned for nine years. So, if Deontay Wilder wants a unification fight he is going to have to wait, because Wladimir Klitschko has a round two .... ding, ding, ding.”
Fury has vowed to be “the most charismatic champion since Mohammad Ali” and has already carved out his own style of singing after victories.
He predicted his win over Klitschko in song on Wednesday last week, before earning his triumph with an impressive display in the ring.
He then serenaded his wife Paris, who told him on the eve of the fight that she is expecting the couple’s third child, with Aerosmith’s Don’t Want to Miss a Thing in the Dusseldorf ring.
Fury has already made his mark in a heavyweight division badly in need of a strong character and he proved he can trash talk with the best of them in the fight’s build-up.
He is the self-styled “savior of the heavyweight division,” who described Klitschko as being an “old man,” who has “as much charisma as my underpants. Zero.”
Fury took a small purse to have his shot at Klitschko, but boosted his earnings by winning ￡400,000 (US$601,260) after betting on himself to beat the champion and will be able to set his own figure for the rematch.
Klitschko wants to look at what went wrong in Dusseldorf after one of the poorest displays of his career.
“I saw myself in the mirror after the fight; it didn’t look good,” said Klitschko, who turns 40 in April, and was left with cuts to both cheeks.
“This small war has been lost, but I still have the fighting spirit,” he said. “There will be a rematch. To be continued.”
Manchester-born Fury was whisked away from Dusseldorf’s Esprit Arena in a white Porsche, but despite the trappings of his new life, he says he will stay true to his Irish traveler roots.
“It was very emotional in the ring, I was riding a high way, it was an amazing feeling,” he told the Telegraph. “I’m just a man, made of blood and bone and I’ve achieved the ultimate in my sport. I don’t feel like some god or a king, I’m just a normal person who got lucky last night.”
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