Tyson Fury announced that "the king has returned" after he sensationally stopped Deontay Wilder to start his second reign as a world heavyweight champion.
The unbeaten 31-year-old floored Wilder twice before the American's corner threw in the towel in the seventh round to confirm Fury as the new WBC heavyweight champion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
British rival Anthony Joshua holds the WBA 'super' IBF and WBO belts, but Fury declared himself as the world No 1 after his stunning triumph over Wilder.
"Big shout out to Deontay Wilder. He came here tonight, he manned up and really did show the heart of a champion," said Fury,
"I hit him with a clean right hand and dropped him and he got back up and battled on into round seven. He is a warrior, he will be back, he will be a champion again.
"But I will say, the king has returned to the top."
Fury, who defeated Wladimir Klitschko to become unified champion in 2015, then serenaded his delighted support with a lengthy rendition of 'American Pie'.
In the aftermath of Fury's win, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has called for an undisputed world heavyweight title fight, with every belt at stake.
"Fury was brilliant, and the tactics from [his trainers] Sugarhill Steward and Andy Lee were spot on," Hearn told Sky Sports.
"For me, we should go straight into AJ vs Fury next. No one wants to see a third fight [between Fury and Wilder]."