Tyson Fury says he is not coming out of retirement amid the rumors that he could return to face Anthony Joshua.
Fury retired from the sport after suffering the second defeat of his career against Oleksandr Usyk. Those two losses prevented him from becoming the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Fury was adamant that he had done enough to win both fights on the scorecards when most of the boxing community clearly had Usyk as the winner. Fury has previously retired, only to then come out of retirement.
He did so after defeating Dillian Whyte.
Ultimately, Fury used his retirement claim as a way to secure a bigger purse for the two Usyk fights. Reports indicate that he earned over $100 million for those two bouts. There is a feeling that Fury is doing the same once again to secure a lucrative purse to face off against Joshua. It is the biggest domestic fight to be made out there, as Fury may fancy his chances. Joshua is not in the best form, as he is coming off a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois. The latter takes on Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title.
Alternatively, this could be a genuine retirement. Fury’s reaction to the Usyk defeats show that he struggled to accept them. He was seen getting thrown out of a nightclub drunk after the first defeat whilst also doubling down on his belief that he had won the fight. In his post-fight comments after the first bout, Fury controversially claimed that Usyk was given the decision due to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Fury’s Future
There is also Fury’s family to think about. His wife, Paris Fury, previously said she would like her husband to retire from the sport. Fury’s brother, Shane Fury, also said that after the first Usyk fight, he would like to see Tyson walk away. The Gypsy King has now said he is making a comeback, but is that genuine?
“I hear a lot of talk of the Gypsy King returning to boxing, and I ask the question of this one. For what? What would I return for? More boxing belts? [I] won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped. That’s it, fair play to them. They’ve had their use of me, but I’m happy. I’m happy, contended with what I’ve done, what I’ve achieved, what I’ve accomplished, been around the world and back again, and here we are.
“This is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King. Not too shabby. I’m in no rush at all to come back boxing, and get my face punched in for what? What would I return for? I asked that question. So here we are. I’m retired and I’m staying retired. I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone and I’ve got nothing to return for,” Fury said
More must-reads: