There was a time when Tyson Fury couldn't sell out Wembley.
Anthony Joshua is in the other corner.
Fury was a villain. Fury was a gypsy outcast. Fury was a "drug cheat".
Fury was also a rambling, ranting homophobe.
Fury was a highly skilled boxer but he was more of an elite boxing fighter than a defensive craftsman.
Joshua was the champion of the people. Joshua was charismatic and had great pulling power.
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Joshua was able to fill out huge British stadiums like no other fighter for decades.
It was not surprising that the 94,000 tickets were snapped up like hot cakes when Fury's first fight for a world-title on home soil was called.
Not after three incredible bouts with Deontay wilder, which rank as one of boxing's greatest trilogies.
The undefeated WBC champion feels great pride and joy at the size of tonight's live crowd -- the largest ever to see a title fight in the world heavyweight category since the Second World War.
BETTING SPECIAL - GET FURY AT 30/1 OR WHYTE AT 100/1He stated, "This is it capital city, this the pinnacle.
"It was once one of my major goals to fight at Old Trafford Madison Square Garden, York Hall, and the MGM. That was it.
"But the opportunity came up to box at Wembley. Before Frank Warren offered me this huge offer, I was content with the slippers that I had on in Morecambe.
"Wembley? 40-odd million? For sure, put me down. I was content to walk around in a robe.
Fury claimed that he would have drawn a full house to his "homecoming" regardless of the opponent.
Although Whyte can punch hard, it is still a far cry from Wilder.
Fury's reputation has been transformed by this trilogy.
He survived two knockdowns and drew a draw. This should have been a win.
He then seized Wilder’s WBC crown with a stunning display. He won again in an epic slugfest.
He had out-boxed Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 and now he has out-punched Wilder.
It wasn't just science, but sheer showmanship.
His 'ringwalk' prior to the Wilder fight, the Lancastrian slugger on a sedan seat, dressed in a crown, regal robes and singing Patsy Cline’s 'Crazy' was a spectacular and hilarious spectacle.
The man who was famous for his homophobic rants after Klitschko's victory, even though he was suffering from depression and drug addiction, was now performing a high-camp performance fit for Mardi Gras.
We are certain to see more cabaret under Wembley’s huge arch tonight.
Fury is both a fighter and a man.
He can be both incoherent or poetic at the same time during a press conference -- which he often is.
This week, he said: "I am 6ft 9in tall and almost 20 stone. I can run all day and fight all night, but I can also f*** all afternoon.
He can be brutal, but he can also be genuine and open about his mental-health problems.
The Gypsy King isn't exactly Marmite. It is possible to both love and hate the Gypsy King because he is so complex.
Fury's association to Daniel Kinahan, an alleged crime lord, has hampered the buildup to this fight. The US government has placed worldwide sanctions on Kinahan.
MTK Global, which Kinahan founded, was bankrupt this week. Fury however claims that he will be re-establishing his connections to MTK in 2020.
It is important to remember Fury's ban from testing positive for nandrolone. We also need to consider Fury’s honesty about his struggles with addiction, suicidal thoughts and binge-drinking, as well as his subsequent shock win over Klitschko.
Fury, 33, has teased us for weeks about how insistent he is that Tonight's fight against Whyte would be his last.
This pretence will likely be maintained at night with his PR team preparing messages on Wembley's large screens to congratulate him on the end a wonderful career.
Fury was asked if he would be interested in a fight for the undisputed title against Oleksandr Usyk, who won the rematch with Joshua. There are no belts I haven’t won or haven’t yet earned.
There is still hope for this song-and-dance man, despite his unlikely appearance.
With Joshua being widely regarded as a busted flush fighter, the long-held clamour to fight Fury-AJ has somewhat subsided.
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Fury doesn't need that fight to define him as a fighter.
However, Fury is, quite honestly, not easily defined.
