Fury went into the bout as a 1/25 favorite with the Las Vegas bookmakers, but those who had backed the Brit to claim an easy win were left sweating when Fury suffered a nasty cut early in the contest over his right eye in the third round that required repeated medical inspection throughout the contest.

The cut came from a huge left hook from Wallin, and when the wound started to bleed and swell, the referee brought a temporary halt to the fight in Round 6 to get the cut inspected by the ringside doctor.

It meant the whole bout was contested under a cloud of anxiety as Fury’s team and supporters weren’t 100% sure whether the contest would be allowed to go all the way to a conclusion before the doctor made a fight-ending intervention.

It prompted Fury to push hard for a finish as he loaded up his shots in the final rounds, but was unable to stop the gritty Swede.

In the end, Fury, thanks to a strong assist from his cutman, made it all the way to the judges’ scorecards, where he earned a unanimous decision victory with scores of 116-112, 117-111, 118-110 to maintain his undefeated record.

Speaking after the fight, Fury said the cut sustained early in the contest forced him to change tactics.

"It was a great fight, I got caught on the eye and that changed the fight," he said.

"For the majority (of the fight) I could not see out of the eye. Then there was a clash of heads and I got cut again."

Wallin’s performance exceeded most experts’ expectations as he showed himself to be a worthy opponent for the lineal heavyweight champion, and after the fight he said he was happy to have proved his doubters wrong.

"I did everything I could, I tried my best and Tyson is a great champion," he said.

"Nobody can question my heart or question that I'm a good fighter."

Fury’s win now leaves the coast clear for a hotly-anticipated rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. The pair drew in controversial circumstances last December, and Fury named his date for the proposed rematch.

"Deontay Wilder, I want you next, bum," he declared.

"That's my fourth fight, it has put me in good stead for the big dosser, February 22nd."