Tyson Fury's second grudge match with Deontay Wilder truly feels an age away. A devastating seventh-round victory for the Gypsy King saw him complete his ascent to stardom, and also spark a truly remarkable chain of events.
The fight, which took place in February 2020, was ironically billed as 'Unfinished Business'. Over a year-and-a-half on, that tag remains, with Wilder determined to beat Fury to a pulp, while his rival remains typically bullish.
If Wilder is to spring a surprise, he will have to drastically improve. Their original rematch was no contest at all, with Fury dominating to twice leave him in a heap on the canvas, bleeding from his left ear and then his mouth.
Tyson Fury's triumph against Deontay Wilder last year sparked a remarkable chain of events
Fury meant business, quite simply. Straight from the off, he took to the centre of the ring, establishing his lightning sharp jab and evading a number of Wilder's early swings. From there, the momentum of the bout was set.
In the third round, Fury floored Wilder with a devastating right hand to the temple, and the American hit the ground in the fifth following a left hook to his body. Soon after, during the seventh, the towel from his corner was thrown in.
Cue the excuses from Wilder - ranging from the bizarre to the downright ridiculous and offensive. His ire was particularly directed at his trainer, Mark Breland, and his decision to concede defeat, despite Fury ramming home his dominance.
'I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don't make an emotional decision and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything,' Wilder said.
Fury sent Wilder crashing to the canvas twice before the latter's corner then threw the towel in
'I understand what it looks like but when you have power like me I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I'm never out of a fight.'
But despite his insistence to the contrary, the result was sewn up. Fury capitalised on the moments of weakness at the perfect time, landing crashing blow after blow. It was gruesome, leaving no doubt over who the better fighter was.
Wilder, attempting to deal with the aftermath, initially weighed up firing Breland, an Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion. Lurching from one choice to the next in the same style he looked to evade Fury's onslaught, he kept him on.
Next up were the eyebrow-raising excuses over Wilder's ring-walk outfit and its weight. Striding out in a shining suit and helmet to mark 'Black History Month', he looked the part. Until he then pinned blame on it, that is.
The 40lb outfit rendered Wilder's legs weaker than normal, coach Jay Deas said.
Heavyweight titan Fury's devastating victory has been overshadowed by Wilder's excuses
Wilder, in the aftermath of the loss, blamed trainer Mark Breland for conceding defeat too soon
He then added: 'His legs didn't look great to me early on. I didn't think his legs look like they normally look.
'I know he came to the ring in the outfit, which was very heavy. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Tyson's a lot of weight to be putting on you as well.'
A few days after the fight, Wilder admitted the suit was 'way too heavy'.
He added: 'That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs.
'When I took it off, I knew immediately that the game had changed.'
The heavy suit Wilder sported for his ring walk was also blamed for affecting his performance
He didn't stop there, either. In another explosive interview, Wilder accused Breland of spiking his water in the build-up, alleging he felt 'great' before having a sip from a drink he believed was 'tampered with'.
'About 15 minutes before going out to the fight, warming up on the mitts, it was perfect, I felt great,' he said. 'Until I went to the ring. That transformation, I was drinking certain water and stuff, trying to keep myself hydrated.
'I just start feeling weird. My water was spiked as if I took a muscle relaxer or something like that. Certain things, the atmosphere just didn't seem right. It felt like something was about to go down, and not in my favour.
'It wasn't just the suit, my water was tampered with. This feeling here, it was a different feeling. It was like I had no control over my body, my legs were weak.
'He even had somebody on Fury's side to tell him, "Throw the towel in, they got a rematch." Because I believe he was part of it. He was part of it.
But despite the chastening manner of his defeat, Wilder quickly triggered the rematch clause
'And, even more so, I think he's got something to do with my water as well too. He was the only one handling my water. He was the only one. I have strong sources.'
Breland, to little surprise, was dismissed.
But was that the end of the story? Of course not, for in the same month, Wilder triggered the clause in the contract which allowed for a third match. The trilogy was on, and Fury would again be forced to step up and face him.
Tentatively pencilled in for July 18, the green light was given. It was postponed, however, because of the coronavirus pandemic. A rough date in October was then lined up as a potential replacement.
Bob Arum, Fury's promoter, ruled out the prospect of the bout in that month, saying: 'I talked to Tyson Fury on Sunday and I told him the earliest I thought the fight could happen is November. Who knows even about November?
Fury and Wilder played out a controversial draw in their first showdown and are fierce rivals
'Obviously, we cannot do Fury and Wilder without an audience. If you are going to do it with an audience, are people going to be willing to get on a plane and come to Las Vegas? So many of the fans come from the UK.
'A lot of that has to be taken into account. Maybe it doesn't happen until next year.'
Meanwhile, in the background, a super-fight was brewing between Joshua and Fury. Eddie Hearn even revealed that an agreement was reached on a two-fight deal, with the initial terms for the blockbuster successfully thrashed out.
'We're making great progress,' Joshua's promoter Hearn told Sky Sports. 'There is still a lot to overcome. We are looking at venues and dates.'
His words would prove prophetic in just a short matter of months.
After Fury's win, Eddie Hearn said an agreement was reached for a bout with Anthony Joshua
And with Joshua looming on the horizon, Fury's attentions suddenly shifted to him. Citing difficulties in contractual negotiations over finding a date, the Gypsy King confirmed claims that he would no longer fight Wilder for a third time.
In October, he told The Athletic: 'They asked me if I would agree to push it to December. I agreed to December 19.
'Then they tried to change the date again into next year. I've been training. I'm
