/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47759015/GettyImages-499076108.0.jpg)
The Klitschko reign is over. Tyson Fury pulled off a stunning upset victory today in Düsseldorf, Germany, handing Wladimir Klitschko his first-ever decision loss and his first loss since 2004, winning the lineal world heavyweight championship on scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 116-111. BLH had it 116-111 for Fury.
Fury (25-0, 18 KO) didn't do a lot offensively, but his constant movement and feinting gave Klitschko (64-4, 53 KO) fits all night, totally shutting down the long-dominant champion's offensive output. Neither man was impressive offensively, but Klitschko looked old, unable to pull the trigger at times, and downright confused as to how to combat Fury, whose height made him a different animal, and who didn't fight recklessly and give Wladimir any serious openings on offense.
Klitschko, 39, fell into a hole early in the fight, and just never got out of it. He seemed to fight without much fire or passion, and even looked a little tired about halfway into the bout. Fury, 27, ran Klitschko ragged in the fight, and Wladimir was just never able to get untracked. He wasn't able to win the fight at distance, as Fury seemed to have the better jab, and when he did get in close, he just didn't throw punches. In fact, he didn't throw punches at all, from any distance.
Wladimir had but fleeting moments, a punch at a time. Fury, too, struggled offensively, but he outboxed a fighter who has been propped up as a technical great, even with Fury's sometimes questionable form. He frustrated the champion all night long, and that's how he won. By doing just enough for enough of the rounds.
Either way, we've got a new world heavyweight champion, and he's a man who dressed up as Batman at a press conference and sang Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" in the ring after this fight. It's a new day.