Method in his madness - extra weight helps Tyson to crush Wilder

Carried to the ring sitting on a thrown to the strains of Patsy Cline's 'Crazy', Fury embraced the moment full prepared for the riskiest strategy he was set to employ.

Very few times in boxing has a superior boxer walked down a harder puncher, especially one with the concussive one-punch power of Wilder, and stopped them.

Fury evoked the legendary Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns fight in the marathon pre-match build-up and he showed courage and application to match the 'Marvelous' [sic] one from 1985, when perhaps the fighter with the devastating right hand most reminiscent to Wilder was humbled.

Unlike that super-fight, this was not even close and there were few moments when Fury was made to worry by Wilder, using his skill to evade or at least lessen the connection of the American's shots while dishing out power of his own.

The most dramatic statistic of the fight is that Fury threw 58 power punches in the contest compared to just seven in their first bout.

After most onlookers felt he won the December 2018 draw, despite twice hitting the canvas, to go away from boxing on the back foot, which he does as well as any heavyweight since Muhammad Ali, seemed a strange and risky move.

Similarly, adding more weight and standing toe-to-toe with Wilder would surely make him a more vulnerable target to the Bronze Bomber's right hand.

It was proven to be anything but the case.

Switching trainer to Javan 'Sugar Hill' Steward from Ben Davison who helped Fury get back to shape from nearly 400lbs and guided him to the fine performance in the last bout, was also a move which led many Fury-backers to rethink their position.

Perhaps there was a lesson in history though, from the uncle of Javan, the legendary Emmanuel Steward, who took on Lennox Lewis after he guided Oliver McCall to victory over the Brit for the WBC title in 1994.

Lewis had not looked as sharp as he had when knocking out Razor Ruddock in two rounds - which effectively made him world champion when Riddick Bowe declined face him - and most wanted Lewis to return to the 16 stone he was in this 1992 fight, using his speed and boxing ability to move in and out of range then use his destructive power, with less risk.

Instead Steward had Lewis put on weight and over the next decade he dominated the heavyweight division, mostly standing his ground, using his height and strength to push fighters on the back foot.

Fury showed a side we have not seen from him before at this level and it is tantalising to think whether he would take this approach against WBA/IBF/WBO champion Anthony Joshua.

Whether this fight happens is uncertain, Joshua is set to fight Kubrat Pulev, a prospect which does not get the pulse racing, while Fury is thought to be contracted to face Wilder for a third time, though the manner of the victory and the Alabama man's apparent leg injury makes this neither appealing nor likely to happen this year.

One thing is for certain though, the Gypsy King's claim to be the world's number one heavyweight is now very difficult to dispute, and Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn - who already revised his previous offers to a 50-50 split for the winner of this bout - will have to cede status and money for this fight to happen, especially given the status of Fury in America now which will only mushroom after this performance.