Boxing packs a punch for its fans at last

There is probably not another sport that treats its fans with quite as much disdain as boxing.

The sweet science constantly forces its legion of followers to wait longer and longer for the fights they truly crave.

The politics in the sport are enough to drive most crazy, with a litany of excuses at the ready for promoters to use as to why most fighters take such protracted routes to arrive at the mouthwatering contests hotly debated for years prior.

Fans are often stung when fights disappear in a puff of smoke due to late pull-outs due to injuries, failed drugs tests or simply an underwhelming performance to gift a win to those supposed to just be the opponent.

So it was stunning to see that disillusion dissipate across 11 breathtaking rounds on Saturday when Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder in an instant classic in Las Vegas.

In hindsight we should have seen it coming, given all the ingredients were there, including the perception that the script was already written after Fury stomped all over Wilder in their second battle. Always expect the unexpected with these characters.

Wilder always has a puncher’s chance and Fury, who appears to have reinvented himself in the ring, seemed riled enough by the Alabaman’s farfetched accusations of cheating to inject extra venom into his work.

Now off the back of two brutal fights under the tutelage of trainer SugarHill Steward, it is time to savour one of the sport’s most skilled technicians, now clearly armed with a more destructive arsenal. The Gypsy King, at 6 ft 9 in and 273 pounds, is simply a force of nature that would stack up against any of the sport’s legendary heavyweight kings.

He also showcased that vulnerability to be hit slightly more often than his slick style suggests, but the marriage of that, with a serenity in the eye of the storm once hurt, delivers such an absorbing watch.

All of that hurt and disappointment as boxing conspired to block a more fluid schedule of world class heavyweight fights has faded in the aftermath of Anthony Joshua’s disappointing loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

It was disappointing in the sense that Joshua and Fury were destined to meet for all the marbles had they both been victorious.

But while Joshua’s rematch clause -- another needless hurdle towards crowning an undisputed king -- somewhat extends the timeline towards an absolute conclusion, the manner of Fury’s latest performance emphatically establishes himself as the greatest of a generation.

Fights like Fury vs Wilder 3 not only settles a dispute in the ring, but many more outside it. It ends tiresome discussions and debates, while starting many more.

This fight and the trilogy as a whole is something to be treasured by all those fortunate enough to witness it, especially those who were sleep-deprived in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It is exactly these fights that feed an addiction to a sport that provides enough reasons to walk away for good, and yet millions keep coming back.

Shaquille O'Neal, Drake and many more celebrities besides descended on the bright lights of Las Vegas, cognisant of the prospect of what was about to unfold.

It is why boxing, perhaps more so than MMA, has that elevated ceiling to thrill, given the decades of tradition and its fascinating lineage.

That is what Fury represents, too, which is why he was held in slightly greater esteem than Joshua before and now Usyk.

The lineage matters, he is the man who beat the man and despite his immense skill, boxing provides a window for millions to examine something much deeper.

Fury admitted delight in delivering such an absorbing contest, despite the extra attrition compared to the second fight. A historian of the sport, he is aware that the physical toll his body took while resisting the ferocity of Wilder is worth so much more than a one-sided defence.

So while Fury closed a chapter in a fascinating career packed with the highest of highs and lowest of lows, he opened up another to those watching.

A fight that now spawns an endless source of fascinating debate and the gift to pass on to future generations who will follow the sport.

It was the perfect example of why the wait is always worth it.

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