It was a true boxing masterclass from Fury, who further cemented his place at the top of this generation’s heavyweight division.
Whyte came into the fight with serious ambitions to take the WBC belt from Fury but was outclassed and outclassed from the opening bell in one of the most anticipated heavyweight bouts in recent history.
“He [Whyte] I didn’t fight the world champion tonight,” Fury said in his post-match press conference. “I’m not the world champion, I’m a legend in this game. You can’t deny it, I’m the best heavyweight ever.”
The 94,000 tickets sold out in just a few hours, setting an all-time record for the largest boxing match attendance in Europe and the largest in the world in the 21st century.
Wembley Stadium was more than three quarters full two hours before Fury and Whyte were even scheduled to make their ring walks – perhaps not surprising considering some fans had paid around £2,000 ($2,570) for the premium seats .
With both fighters hailing from Britain – Fury from Manchester and Whyte from London – they were both treated to a boisterous reception when they first appeared on the big screens, with Fury narrowly beating Whyte on the decibel meter.
Thanks to his larger-than-life character and incredible technical ability, Fury has a unique appeal and is immensely popular among British boxing fans, but Whyte’s determination and determination throughout his roller-coaster at times career has also made him immensely popular with the general public.
This shot at the WBC heavyweight title was long-awaited and many felt it was long overdue.
The build-up to the fight had been unusually amicable by heavyweight division standards, with both men clearly having a great deal of respect for one another.
The pair shared a number of hilarious moments during fight week, most notably when they took part in a dance-off during the weigh-in.
Fury also caused roars of laughter from the assembled media during Wednesday’s press conference when he playfully grabbed Whyte during the clash.
“War” in the ring
However, as expected, all the subtleties disappeared when the first bell rang; Fury had promised fans “a real war” in the ring and it was certainly a promise he kept.
With the defending champion possessing the superior skills should the fight go the distance and be decided on points, Whyte knew his only realistic chance at the title was to knock out Fury so understandably he started with front foot.
After a tentative opening round, Whyte came out early in the second with a huge right hook which Fury dodged gracefully and drew the first ‘ooh’ from the crowd.
As the third round drew to a close, Fury landed two jabs on Whyte and nodded to himself in agreement.
By the fourth, the subtleties were finally over. Whyte appeared angered at Fury for an apparent use of the head, leading referee Mark Lyson to give both men a stern talk in their respective corners.
The clash brought a bit of hostility to the fight as Lyson had to pull the fighters apart again after they missed a series of punches while clinting in the corner.
For a split second, Whyte looked like he was going to charge at Fury after the bell rang, apparently unhappy with what he initially thought was a late jab.
Such was the mounting tension that the referee was forced to gather the fighters in the center of the ring before round five began.
The crowd at Wembley Stadium was roused after Fury first landed a punch to Whyte’s body before staggering his opponent with a headshot for the first time.
Looking increasingly desperate as the sixth round progressed, Whyte ended up on the ropes after aiming a wild swing that Fury avoided with ease.
It was the beginning of the end for a clearly exhausted Whyte.
With his cover missing, Whyte went straight for a trembling right-handed uppercut from Fury.
Immediately the lights went out for Whyte, who fell straight on his back like a large felled tree. He did well to get back on his feet but Lyson was forced to end the fight after Whyte stumbled past him.
What’s next for Fury?
Now the question is: what’s next for Fury? The 33-year-old has insisted multiple times throughout the week that he would retire after that fight, a claim training partner Joseph Parker said was “very sincere”.
Fury said in his post-fight interview that these are now “curtains” on his boxing career.
It remains to be seen whether or not Fury will be true to his word, but this is a fighter who is still at the peak of his powers and the thought of unifying the heavyweight titles is uncanny even for a man who has achieved so much , a tempting proposition to stay in the sport.
Following his dismantling of Anthony Joshua, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk has possession of the other heavyweight belts and a fight between Fury and one of these fighters would be a delicious clash for fans of the sport.
With 94,000 fans hanging on to his every word and joining in with his now-signature rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” it would certainly be hard for Fury to say no under the lights last night.