There is a consensus brewing in the sporting press. It reads something like this: Not since the days of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield has the undisputed boxing heavyweight championship of the world been pursued by such an exciting and talented field of fighters.

It is fitting then that one of the men aiding the resurrection of the most fearsome weight class is named Tyson Fury.

Tonight, for the first time in his career, Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) will make his walk to the ring under the lights of Las Vegas, boxing’s mecca, against the undefeated German, Tom Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs).

The pair will meet sometime around midnight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with Fury entering as an unquestioned favorite at somewhere around 20 to 1. Not many expect an upset from tonight’s bout, but the division’s return to prominence has come with plenty of surprises as of late.

Fury, a man who carries alongside his 6-foot-9 frame a narrative of personal tribulations to rival a Russian novel, will be looking to rebound from the one blemish currently on his record.

On December 1 2018, he and American heavyweight icon Deontay Wilder fought to a draw at the Staples Center in one of the most astonishing performances in the history of the sport. After out-boxing Wilder for the early portion of that fight, Fury appeared to be knocked stiff with a hard right hand and another left on the way down in the ninth round, only to rise as Lazarus and fight his way to a draw.

Fans of the “Gypsy King” from Manchester will tell you that Fury won 10 of 12 rounds despite the near KO and was robbed on the cards, while the Wilder faithful will insist that Fury did not make it back up in time for the 10 count.

However you saw it, it was still greatness.

The man on the outside looking in during that fight in Los Angeles was Anthony Joshua, another towering British champion and Olympic gold medalist who, at the time, stood at 22-0.

Grabbing the microphone with characteristic aplomb, Fury bellowed, “Where are you AJ?”

The script was flipped on June 1 when Joshua was defeated in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden, suffering a TKO upset at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr.

How strange is that? A controversial draw and the TKO of a young favorite are the bouts that brought the division back from the dead.

To summarize.

You have Wilder, a man who recently said “I want a body on my record” and may have the power in his right hand to get one.

Fury, the colossal, sharp-tongued descendent of a line of bare-knuckle champions who has put himself through hell and back.

Joshua, the carved-out-of-stone once and possibly future king.

Ruiz Jr., the unassuming comeback kid who is now Mexico’s first heavyweight champion.

It’s not the kind of recipe you would find in a standard cookbook, but, boy, is it delicious.

Boxing fans have had their appetizer, but now it is time for the main course — the rematches.

Fury/Wilder still needs a winner and the world is clambering to find out if Joshua/Ruiz Jr. works the same a second time around. Once those have been settled, things should take a turn for the historic as long as promoters stay out of the way.

Tonight’s fight in Las Vegas may not play a large role in this exhilarating future to come, but that’s the thing about boxing right now.

Who knows?