Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder RESULT: Gypsy King retains WBC title with stunning KO – as it happened

Tyson Fury found his defining triumph in one of the greatest and most heroic heavyweight fights ever seen.

Thus his epic trilogy with Deontay Wilder ended in a brutal 11th round knockout after Fury climbed off the canvas twice, having being floored by the Bronze Bomber’s atomic right hand.

Wilder inflicted those blows after being dropped first himself. He suffered two more knock downs at the climax of a ring war in which the courage and will of two gladiators defied belief.

Without extraordinary inner fortitude and a willingness to soak up monstrous punishment each could have fallen 10 times.

As they reeled between pain and exhaustion either could have been forgiven for succumbing. And it was the referee who had to prevent a semi-conscious Wilder from rising yet again.

Fury prevailed by brute strength, violent force, a granite jaw and a superior skill set. As he said: ‘I’m the best heavyweight in the world and he’s the second best.’

Correct.

Anthony Joshua can consider himself fortunate indeed that his long touted mega-fight with Fury fell through. Oleksandr Usyk is too small to survive against this behemoth. So who next for Fury? At this vaulting moment for boxing it hardly matters.

Let us simply give thanks for witnessing greatness and gallantry of the highest sporting order.

Fury came out snarling in the first round despite Wilder threatening to work the body and then doing so with the first dozen blows of the fight, before then switching to the head to dominate the first round.

But in the second round the Gypsy King responded with a combination at the start and, despite more body work from Wilder, he ended up taking the round.

A set of furious exchanges followed in the third, with Wilder rocking Fury, but the latter came back ferociously to floor Wilder and almost finish it within his projected three rounds.

Although that proved not to be the case, Wilder was looking groggy and Fury went for the kill. However, in the fourth suddenly a big right sent Fury sprawling, before another knockdown followed from the Bronze Bomber and the only thing that saved Fury was the bell.

That led Fury to fight from memory in the fifth and he appeared to be holding on somewhat as the crowd inside the T-Mobile Arena roared for Wilder. But somewhat incredibly, Fury came again in the sixth and had Wilder reeling once more as his right punches began to become increasingly rash and desperate.

A street brawl erupted in the seventh but it was Fury who was on top. Both men, however, were feeling the effect of their strenuous exertions at times, yet it was Fury who again came close to winning the fight.

The eighth saw Wilder take more heavy punishment and he was almost down following another strong showing from Fury, but he somehow rallied at the end before receiving attention from the doctor back in his corner. 

Wilder insisted he wanted to carry on just before the start of the ninth but his fortunes did not change, as he promptly was on the end of a mauling again. Yet both men were showing a stupendous effort and the Bronze Bomber still managed to rock his man at the end but still appeared to lose the round.

Wilder hit the canvas again from a right punch from Fury, but he seemed to rescue something in the final 10 seconds of the round with quickfire hits to ensure it was the Gypsy King who was saved by the bell.

But ultimately it was Wilder’s challenge that would come to a definitive and sudden halt, delivering the final blow in the 11th to bring this chapter of his heavyweight boxing career to a close.

Re-live Sportsmail‘s live coverage of Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder below, brought to you by Ollie Lewis and Kishan Vaghela.