Fury stops Wilder via 7th-round TKO in dominant title victory

The Gypsy King is back on the throne.

In one of the most anticipated heavyweight title rematches in boxing history, undefeated lineal champion Tyson Fury handed Deontay Wilder the first defeat of his professional career, finishing him in the seventh round via TKO to capture the WBC title.

Wilder's corner threw in the towel as Fury rained down shots in the seventh round of a dominant performance. The Englishman was already ahead on points and had knocked down his opponent multiple times in the earlier rounds. Still, Wilder was aiming to go back for more.

"The best man won tonight, but my corner threw in the towel, and I was ready to go out on my shield," Wilder said, according to ESPN's Dan Rafael. "I had a lot of things going on heading into this fight. It is what it is, but I make no excuses tonight. I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield."

Fury bloodied Wilder's ear during the one-sided fight, which appeared to give the 31-year-old a literal taste for his opponent's blood at one point as he pretended to lick the shoulder of the former champion while pinning him against the ropes.

Despite the dominant showing, Fury had nothing but praise for his rival.

"I hit him with a clean right that dropped him, and he got back up," Fury said. "He is a warrior."

After securing the historic victory over Wilder, Fury serenaded the sold-out crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with a rendition of Don McLean's "American Pie."

With the win, Fury moves to 30-0-1, with Wilder dropping to 42-1-1.