Tyson Fury savagely dismantles Tom Schwarz to earn Las Vegas’ love and set up epic heavyweight ride
The ‘Gypsy King’ was in fine form to consolidate his case as the world’s best heavyweight ahead of Deontay Wilder
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Your support makes all the difference.It was impossible not to smile when Tyson Fury danced to the ring in a stars and stripes outfit from the Rocky movie and even harder not to wince as his fists ruined Tom Schwarz in round two at the MGM.
Poor Schwarz had tried to survive, had tried to stand his ground, dig his boots deep into the canvas, but was left helpless, bleeding and retreating early in round two as Fury transformed the young German’s face with every punch. It was a cold display, vicious at the end as the towel came in and the referee jumped forward to save Schwarz. Fury was not holding back and showed no mercy.
Fury delivered the perfect five minutes and 54 seconds for his Las Vegas debut to set in motion the fabulous dreams and schemes of boxing fans, television executives and his promoters, Bob Arum and Frank Warren. There is a real desire for Fury here, especially in a rematch with Deontay Wilder, and the savagery of his ring appearance under the MGM’s neon was a perfect contrast with the singing, dancing and the heartfelt confessions of the months and weeks since the fight was announced. There is only so much proselytising a man can do with a song and dance routine – boxing demands something extra of the heavyweights it adores; Fury had that extra against Schwarz and has promised more of it.
There is nothing in sport quite like the prospect of a heavyweight showdown, and one that carries more than just hype, millions of dollars and a plastic narrative. The so-called real fights in heavyweight boxing’s last two decades – not a golden spell, that is for sure – have seldom come with the type of expectation that Fury meeting Wilder again will stir.
Even in the stunned wake of Anthony Joshua’s horrible loss, a fight with a rematch clause that matters, there is little doubt that Fury and Wilder two is a fight to break and set records. The ancient cynics, living and dead, will approve.
A Fury and Wilder second fight would be a pay-per-view event to rival the ridiculous successes of Floyd Mayweather, where revenue could top 600 million dollars when he owned the MGM ring, according to Arum. There were critics of Schwarz’s credentials, but his ruin in less than two completed rounds, which was not a great shock, did little to dampen the wild post-fight chat. Heavyweight boxing really is its own universe.
“I knew after five seconds what I could do,” insisted Fury. “I turned him, switched to southpaw, mixed the shots. That was good tonight.” It was good, and the few occasions when Fury was able to float out of a corner, leaving Schwarz’s desperate punches in thin air, and then turn on his opponent as he suddenly found himself occupying the same corner, were quite brilliant.
That is – against any man – hard and a delicious slice of genius from the training ground. Fury is a natural boxer, a born fighting man, as he often says and moves like a boxer from one of the lighter divisions.
There is a fight planned for New York in either September or October, and it will probably be under the lights at boxing’s most revered of venues, Madison Square Garden. Fury was made for the football stadium and 55,000 fans In Düsseldorf when he won a world title against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, his amazing final round resurrection last December in Los Angeles against Wilder was perfect for that fantasy city and Saturday night’s ruthless magic was ideal for this desert town of illusions and desires. There will be a love affair with the Garden, trust me.
Late on Saturday night, as Fury and Schwarz embraced, the reality of Fury’s handiwork was horribly visible; cuts to Schwarz’s nose and above his brow, had temporary cotton swabs and plasters as relief to stop the flow of claret, but there was no hiding the look of stunned hurt in his wet eyes.
“So good, so good,” Schwarz muttered. Fury praised him, told him that he would come again and then left for his party, an after-fight party that could also serve as a launch party.
Fury went to America to get ready five weeks ago – he arrived in America on Saturday night, fists flying, singing songs and pledging allegiance to the heavyweight boxing flag. It will be, from this point, quite a ride.
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