In Saturday’s second retaliation, Fury, 33, maintained invincibility in the 32nd game in the professional ring. Wilder, who will turn 36 in October, returned to the 45th duel for the second time in his career defeated.

In Las Vegas, the two boxers over two meters fought another open and grueling battle in front of 15,820 spectators. In the third round Fury sent Wilder to the ground for the first time, in the fourth he found himself on a defending champion’s knees to change and was even counted twice but was saved by a gong. After half the fight, Fury was still slightly above the refs and his best condition started to show as well. In the tenth round, Wilder no longer retained his right hand strike, but Fury’s winning move was still premature. A round later, however, he ended the battle with another right hook.

“It was a great game. I always said I was the best boxer in the world, and I did. And he’s the second best,” Fury said. “Never doubt me. At the end of the day, I can always do it,” he added.

Following last year’s triumph, the Briton initially sought a so-called unification duel with compatriot Anthony Joshua, who at the time held the remaining championship belts from major WBA, IBF and WBO organizations. The obligation to box with Wilder in defense was ordered by Fury in a US court in May, however, the match scheduled for the summer has been postponed to October due to Britain’s positive coronavirus test. Joshua, meanwhile, also had to make a mandatory defense and lost his titles after being beaten by Ukrainian challenger Alexander Usyk in September.