London: British heavyweight Tyson Fury was crowned the new world heavyweight champion on Saturday, ending Wladimir Klitschko’s nine-year reign as champion in 12 rounds and sending Britain’s media into overdrive.
“Wladimir Klitschko was beaten by Tyson and Father Time tonight. The performance of a lifetime from Tyson Fury. A brilliant night for British boxing,” said the BBC’s boxing commentator Mike Costello.
“Was there ever a more appropriately named champion than Tyson Fury? But there was very little Fury in that fight, Klitschko simply slid to defeat after a brilliant career,” said the Guardian’s Tom Lutz.
Fury is the living embodiment of Mickey O’Neil, the unhinged gypsy boxer played by Brad Pitt in Guy Ritchie’s 2000 film ‘Snatch’.
The 27-year-old calls himself “Gypsy King” on Twitter, and was born into a family of Irish traveller heritage in Wythenshawe in the Manchester suburbs.
“Fury wrote his name into boxing folklore and well and truly silenced his doubters with a performance that lived up to his promise,” wrote James Robson of the Manchester Evening News.
Before the match in Duesseldorf, Fury had called 39-year-old Klitschko an “old man”, predicting he would knock the Ukrainian out, when in the end the Briton won on points.
British media returned to the theme of a younger new guard displacing the old boxing elite. “History tells us boxing is a young man’s game and so it proved when Fury, 27 battled his way to a shock win over Klitschko who is pushing 40,” wrote Britain’s Sun newspaper.
“Now it’s the turn of other young guns like Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker as well as Fury, who broke down in tears when the verdict was announced.”
Other outlets were less analytical, and simply revelled in Fury’s win, making him Britain’s eighth world heavyweight champion.
“The belts are heading to Britain — Tyson has beaten the odds and defied the doubters,” wrote the Mirror’s Joshua Evans.
“Wlad can’t believe it. Very few people can.”
The Mail on Sunday’s Jeff Powell wrote: “The Gypsy King of England is amazingly, wonderfully, sensationally — and tearfully — the new heavyweight champion of the world.”
— AFP
