Tyson Fury lived up to his dressing room promise by putting on "an exceptional performance" to knock out Dillian Whyte and reaffirm his status as the world's most fearsome heavyweight.
The Gypsy King produced a stunning uppercut to down his fellow Brit in the sixth round and the fight was soon brought to an end in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. The victory saw Fury defend his WBC heavyweight belt and attention has quickly turned to what could be next for the 33-year-old.
As he addressed reporters after the fight, the undefeated icon announced his intention to retire from boxing only to call out UFC champion Francis Ngannou moments later. Later in the press conference, Fury also lifted the lid on his pre-bout prediction, declaring he "could feel" he would "put on a show".
He said: "Before the fight, in the changing room, I told my team, 'This is going to be an exceptional performance, I'm going to put on a show'. I could feel it. I knew I was going to put on a show. My feet were good. My jab was good. I was jabbing the head off him. I hit the Body Snatcher (Whyte) with a left hook to the body and said to him, 'You're hurt, aren't you, Body Snatcher?'"
Turning his attention to the thunderous atmosphere at Wembley, the 33-year-old added: "I'm overwhelmed with the support. I can't believe that my 94,000 countrymen and women have come here tonight to see my perform.
"I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to every single person who bought a ticket here tonight or stayed up late to watch it on TV.
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In a magnanimous message to Whyte, Fury backed his compatriot to go on and secure the world championship which has evaded him so far in his career, with the exception of the WBC interim belt. "Dillian Whyte is a warrior and I believe that Dillian will be a world champion," the Manchester native said.
"But tonight, he met a great in the sport. I'm one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. I'm a legend in this game. There's no disgrace. He's a tough, game man but you're not messing with a mediocre heavyweight. You're messing with the best man on the planet."
Fury's victory extended his record to 32 wins and one draw from 33 fights while Whyte, who is 34 and fights out of Brixton, has 28 victories and three losses from his 31 professional bouts.
