WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said he is retiring from boxing on his 34th birthday on Friday, having previously performed a number of U-turns over his future in the sport.
“Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years & after long hard conversations I’ve finally decided to walk away & on my 34th birthday I say Bon voyage,” Fury posted on Twitter.
The announcement has been greeted with skepticism as Fury has previously stated his intention to withdraw only to return to the ring.
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He was expected to fight the winner of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Anthony Joshua on August 20 for the chance to unify the world heavyweight titles.
As recently as Tuesday, Fury suggested his most recent spell in retirement was over in order to set up a trilogy fight against Derek Chisora and even claimed to have appointed a new trainer in Isaac Lowe.
However, he has now announced the intention to retire undefeated with a record of 32 wins and one draw from 33 bouts.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: Tyson Fury sits on his throne before entering the ring prior to the WBC World Heavyweight Title Fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Fury went onto thank his wife, promoter Frank Warren and a series of other training partners and television companies who have bought rights to his fights over the years.
The Brit stated ahead of his win over Dillian Whyte in March that he would retire after that fight as he has “150 million in the bank and nothing to prove.”
However, earlier this week, Warren had cast doubt on the suggestion Fury will not fight again.
“I think what’s going to happen is, see what happens on 20 (August) and the outcome of that, and that’ll determine what he intends to do in the future,’ Warren told talk SPORT.
“I think he will (return), because he’s a fighting man and he misses it. That’s what he does, he wants to fight.”
(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 23, 2022 Britain’s Tyson Fury (R) celebrates after knocking out Britain’s Dillian Whyte.Source: AFP
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced that he’s coming out of his brief retirement from boxing to chase a unique piece of history.
Fury, 33, indicated in April that he was ready to walk away from the sport after his successful title defense against the heavy-hitting Dillian Whyte.
The Gypsy King was adamant that his fighting days were over after the fight with Whyte at Wembley, saying that “no amount of money” could change his mind, although many remained skeptical he had retired for good.
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Less than four months later, one of the biggest names in world sport will return to the boxing ring after calling out Derek Chisora (33-12-0, 23 KOs) for a trilogy bout.
After a highly entertaining series of bouts against American Deontay Wilder, Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) said that he wants to become the first heavyweight to ever fight two different opponents three times.
“I’ve decided to come back to boxing because I can be the first heavyweight champion in history to have two trilogies, one with Deontay Wilder and a second one with Derek Chisora,” Fury said on video shared on his social media pages.
“I always said I’d fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career and here we are, breaking all records again and setting precedents.”
Chisora ended a three-fight losing run against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev (29-3-0, 14 KOs) last month by split decision.
The Zimbabwe-born fighter had lost to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in 2020, before two consecutive losses to New Zealander Joseph Parker.
Fury also revealed that he has a new trainer, with boxer Isaac Lowe having taken the reigns ahead of the potentially “massive” fight with Chisora.
Lowe replaces the 33-year-olds previous trainer SuperHill Steward, who played a crucial role in Fury’s two wins over Wilder.
“Why I’ve chosen Isaac Lowe as my trainer is because when I was with Peter, Isaac with there. When I was with Ben (Davison), Isaac’s always been there,” Fury added.
“When I with SugarHill, Isaac’s always been there, he’s always given me information, he knows me better than anyone on the planet and we’re a good team.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: Tyson Fury celebrates victory after the WBC World Heavyweight Title Fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***Source: Getty Images
“We’ve always been together and we’re going to finish this out together. We’ve always worked very well together and here we are, about to take on a massive, massive, massive event.”
Famous boxing promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t believe that Fury is the biggest name in boxing anymore, with Anthony Joshua set to fight Usyk for his belts on August 21.
Fury became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when the then 27-year-old ended Wladimir Klitschko’s control over the division.
But with the world at his feet, the Englishman then fell into a deep depression and had planned to take his own life as he drove his Ferrari 190mph towards a bridge.
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After putting on weight, getting bigger than 180 kilograms, Fury worked his way back to the ring and quickly became one of the biggest names in world sport once again.
While his showmanship both in and out of the ring has won him many fans, Hearn told GQ earlier this month that Joshua was still the biggest name in the sport.
With Fury having ended his retirement, the door remains open for a potential blockbuster against Joshua – which could be the biggest bout that the sport has seen since Fury’s date with destiny against Klitschko.
