Tyson Fury defeated Tom Schwarz by TKO in the second round Saturday night to retain his lineal heavyweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Fury floored Schwarz with a flurry of punches late in the second round. Schwarz beat the count, but Fury quickly pounced on him against the ropes. The referee stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 54 seconds.
The bout was Fury’s first since he signed a multiyear deal with Top Rank to co-promote him and bring his fights to ESPN platforms.
Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs), 30, was making the fourth defense of his lineal heavyweight crown, which he claimed by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Saturday marked Fury’s first fight since he and WBC heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder fought to a split draw in December.
Schwarz (24-1, 16 KOs), 25, was looking to become the second German to hold the lineal heavyweight title, along with Max Schmeling, who held it from 1930-32.