With Tyson Fury announcing his retirement on Monday, the boxing world will lose one of its best fighters and biggest personalities.
Fury was known as much for his persona outside of the ring as he was for his skills inside the squared circle, and it's likely that the "Gypsy King" will not completely fade away from the public eye anytime soon.
Fury, a larger than life character, had already secured his legacy as a modern day great. Imposing, powerful, intelligent, tactical and with a granite chin, he had it all and is why he achieved things many heavyweights could only dream of.
Here are some of the best moments from Fury's illustrious career.
The biggest professional statement made
Tyson Fury had big aspirations as an amateur, but his path was constantly blocked by David Price, who defeated Fury as an amateur in 2006.
Despite representing his country on several occasions, Fury could not find his way to the big tournaments and instead, a professional debut beckoned at the age of 20.
Appearing on one of the UK’s biggest shows of 2008, Fury was to receive excellent exposure as he featured on the undercard of Carl Froch vs. Jean Pascal.
The Nottingham man was about to become world champion for the first time and with the action set to be broadcast on terrestrial TV, it was sure to attract a huge audience.
Hoping to piggyback off that attention was Tyson Fury, who had recently put pen to paper with Mick Hennessy, the man who had guided Froch to this point.
The night would eventually belong to Froch who would defeat Pacal in a classic encounter, but these were the type of nights that Fury was dreaming of headlining one day.
Opposing him that night, December 6, 2008, would be Béla Gyöngyösi, a Hungarian tough man with more losses than wins.
Fury was not there to hang around and he made a winning start to his professional career as he stopped Gyöngyösi in the opening session.
The win was a platform for Fury to push on and build his reputation in the professional ranks and he was back in action just one month later when he beat Marcel Zeller in Wigan.
Seven years after his professional debut, Fury would travel to Germany to become world champion with a memorable away day victory over Wladimir Klitschko.
It’s uncertain how many people would have expected that when Fury made his professional bow, but it is almost guaranteed that Fury knew what lay ahead the night he made his debut on a Froch undercard.
An unforgettable trilogy
Covid-19 was about to grip the world, but before that happened, Tyson Fury was about to sit on top of the heavyweight division again.
After departing the sport for multiple reasons after his incredible 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko, followers of the sport were uncertain whether they would see Fury back in action ever again.
His 2018 saw him enjoy two routine wins. But at the end of that year, Fury would travel to America to try and win the WBC belt against Deontay Wilder, in what would turn out to be the start of a wonderful trilogy.
The result was secondary though as the fight was best remembered for Fury’s miraculous recovery in the final session when he rose from the ground, similar to WWE’s The Undertaker, just before the count could be completed.
The boxing world wanted an immediate rematch, but the entertaining pair would add to their impressive ledgers in 2019 before taking part in the last major fight before lockdown occurred.
Wilder once again entered the contest a significant favourite, but it was clear from the opening round that this night would belong to Fury.
After dropping Wilder heavily in the third and fifth sessions, Fury was on his way to an incredible stoppage, but he could not find the one shot that would end matters for Wilder.
In round seven, after unleashing an incredible barrage of punches, Fury was declared the winner when Mark Breland, the former world champion and Wilder’s trainer, threw in the towel.
Fury was once again world heavyweight champion, and his incredible story had another amazing chapter.
It is this incredible three fight series with Wilder that fury will probably be best remembered for.
Fury shows elite credentials with win over major rival
Julian Finney/Getty Images
Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora both possessed impressive records when they clashed in the summer of 2011 with domestic glory on the line.
With some of the titles becoming the property of the Klitschko Brothers, Fury and Chisora were hoping to become the future of the division, and this fight would tell us more about who was better qualified.
Both had decent amateur pedigrees as they reigned as ABA champions, but who was better qualified to hit the top of the heavyweight scene?
Chisora had bulldozed his way past several opponents as his front-foot strategy forced many opponents to surrender from his relentless style.
For Fury, his rise was performed with a more textbook approach as he boxed his way past his rivals hoping to secure victory with the minimum of fuss.
Chisora began the fight the favourite in some people's eyes as he had made lighter work of his foes on his path to becoming British champion against Danny Williams in 2010.
Fury had endured a tough night against John McDermott where he was controversially ruled the winner despite many thinking McDermott should have got the nod.
Although Chisora had his backers, it was clear to see that Fury was the better man early in the contest as he used his superior skillset to build a handsome lead.
Chisora tried several ways to insert his dominance on the contests, but whatever he tried, Fury had the answer and the dominance in the initial stages of the bout remained throughout.
At the end of 12 one-sided rounds, Fury was declared a clear winner with scores of 118-111 and 117-112 x 2 all going in his favour.
Fury and Chisora would meet two more times in the ring, with Fury stopping his great rival in 2014 before repeating the result eight years later.
Fury upsets incredible odds to land the big one
Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images
Not many people gave The Gypsy King a realistic chance of dethroning the incumbent Wladimir Klitschko when the giants collided in 2015 for heavyweight glory.
The Ukrainian was one of the division’s most dominant champions, having reigned for close to a decade alongside an unbeaten record in the ring since 2004.
Fury was seen as a rising star, but there had been flaws along the way too, including hitting the canvas versus ex-cruiserweight world champion Steve Cunningham.
Klitschko meanwhile was one of boxing's all-time heavyweight punchers and with questions over Fury’s defence, it appeared to be a straightforward mission in Düsseldorf.
Across the build-up however, Fury turned formalities into a media circus, sabotaging events as he appeared to suggest the fight would be a stage for his huge character.
At one of boxing's most unforgettable press conferences, the Briton, dressed as Batman, ran into the conference room and repeatedly targeted the patient, quiet Klitschko.
Later, someone garbed as The Joker joined the fray, allowing Fury to jump over the table and engage in a mock fight with the comic-book villain, leaving his rival stunned.
For some, these antics are part and parcel of the boxing pantomime, but for the challenger, he was doing all he could to let Klitschko know to expect the unexpected.
Come the fight, Fury did just that, taking the centre of the ring after the first bell sounded and smothering his opponent whenever he attempted to get close and take control.
The action proved to be a largely messy affair, and each fighter struggled to exert any real dominance, but the underdog appeared to be edging the contest as it wore on.
Fury hit Klitschko anhywhere he could land a blow repeatedly throughout, and then applied spoiling tactics to leave the incumbent champion unable to respond in turn.
Still, with few heart-stopping moments throughout the dozen rounds, there was some uncertainty over who would get the verdict after the pair went the distance together.
Fury had been the busier man, but his work was from far conclusive and with Klitschko heavily backed by the crowd, it looked as if he might have held the threat at bay.
Instead, in one of the biggest shocks of the modern era, it was the former who was handed the win by unanimous decision, 116-111, 115-112 and 115-12 on the scorecards.
Pandemonium reigned in Fury's corner as he was proclaimed champion, and he took a chance to sing Aerosmith's power ballad I Don't Want to Miss a Thing in celebration.
An immediate rematch was due to take place in 2016, with Klitschko determined to reclaim his titles, but the fight never went ahead as Fury took a leave of absence.
Instead, the Ukrainian challenged for his vacant titles against Anthony Joshua in 2017, but was stopped by the Briton in the final bout of his career at Wembley Stadium.
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