Tyson Fury stays unbeaten, stops Tom Schwarz late 2nd round

Tyson Fury stopped Tom Schwarz with 6 seconds left in the second round Saturday night, with the British heavyweight star remaining unbeaten and putting on a show in his Las Vegas debut.

Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) made short work of his previously unbeaten German opponent, battering him with a jab before knocking him down to a knee in the second round right after Schwarz (24-1) landed a big punch. Fury pressed ahead after the knockdown and forced Schwarz’s corner to throw in the towel before the bell.

Fighting for the first time since he dramatically rose from a devastating 12th-round knockdown to secure a draw with Deontay Wilder, Fury confirmed his world-class ability after his comeback from a 2 1/2-year ring absence.

“I came here to enjoy myself, put on a show for Las Vegas, and I hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did,” Fury said.

Although Fury already had memorable fights in New York and Los Angeles, the Manchester native was determined to put on a show in his debut in the fight capital of the world.

The performance by the world’s lineal heavyweight champion was just as dominant as expected, but his shenanigans before and after the bout might be even more memorable. Fury was in performance mode at the MGM Grand Garden before the fight even began.

After Schwarz ring-walked to the mellow strains of Bob Marley, Fury appeared in red-white-and-blue gear — including a top hat — as he stepped through a cordon of showgirls. With a broad grin, he took the ring to James Brown’s “Living in America,” the entire entrance in homage to Apollo Creed’s famed fictional entrance at the MGM Grand in “Rocky IV.”

Unlike Creed, Fury survived and won.

And after the bout, Fury showed off his decent singing voice. With the microphone in his boxing glove, Fury serenaded his wife, Paris, with Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

The first fight of the 30-year-old Fury’s lucrative new co-promotional deal with Top Rank was intended to introduce his violent style and loquacious character to ESPN’s large audience, and he did both — albeit briefly.

“The key tonight was to enjoy myself,” Fury said. “I used the jab. I was slipping and sliding. I caught him with the straight left. It was a good shot. It could put anybody away. I put on an extra 12 pounds, and I could really feel (the power).”

After dominating the first round with his jab, Fury switched to a southpaw stance late in the second round, and Schwarz caught him with a shot. Fury got mad, battering Schwarz with a combination and dropping him to a knee with a huge right hand to the head.

Schwarz got up with a badly bloodied face, and Fury teed off, peppering his turtling opponent with big shots. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped it at roughly the same moment Schwarz’s corner threw the white towel into the ring.

The 6-foot-5 Schwarz is highly ranked by the WBO, but he had never fought outside his native Germany or the Czech Republic before Fury’s camp picked him for this showcase bout.

Just two weeks ago, Anthony Joshua was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden in one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history. Schwarz never appeared to have a chance of pulling a similar upset — not with the 6-foot-9 Fury towering over him and fighting in crisp form.

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