Tyson Fury has explained his attitude towards retirement ahead of his world heavyweight title rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. ‘The Gypsy King’ fell to his first-ever career defeat in his initial meeting with the Ukrainian – and there has been some speculation that he could hang up his gloves for good if he suffers a second straight loss in Riyadh on Saturday night.
The 36-year-old has a complex past when it comes to retirement. On a number of occasions, the Morecambe man has insisted that he was done with the sport, only to come back and hit even greater heights.
Following his November 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko for the undisputed heavyweight title, Fury was hit with a controversial doping ban and stripped of the belts he had just won. In the aftermath, he ballooned to 27 stone and fought severe mental health issues. It looked unlikely that he would ever fight again.
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Remarkably, though, Fury fought his way back into world championship contention and crowned the ultimate redemption story by knocking out Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight championship in February 2020.
After a period of fighting overseas, Fury returned to British soil to knock out fellow countryman Dillian Whyte in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. Following his sixth-round victory, Tyson again insisted that he was content with everything he had achieved and was ready to ride off into the sunset.
Despite that vow, Fury was back in the ring 18 months later to take on former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. Heading into his rematch with Usyk, the former lineal heavyweight titleholder set the record straight on how he truly feels about retirement during an interview with DAZN.
Tyson Fury Doesn’t Know if he Will Ever be Able to Walk Away From Boxing
‘The Gypsy King’ admits he’ll find it tough to hang up his gloves
Quizzed on whether he would consider retirement if he lost to Usyk again, Fury gave a considered response:
“I’ve tried to walk away many times and been unsuccessful. I meant it when I retired after Dillian Whyte back in 2022. I meant that wholeheartedly. I could have put my hand on the Bible and meant it, but it was difficult to let it go. So, I’m not sure if I can ever let it go!”
He continued: “What brings me back to the ring? Just the victory and winning the belts. That’s what keeps me going. It’s what I do!”
Part of the reason for his stance is that Fury considers boxing “child’s play” compared to some of the mental health challenges he has faced over the years. When asked if a victory over Usyk in their rematch would be the biggest victory of his life, Tyson gave an insight into how he views his boxing career.
|
Oleksandr Usyk & Tyson Fury’s pro boxing records (as of 20/12/24) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Oleksandr Usyk |
Tyson Fury |
|
|
Fights |
22 |
36 |
|
Wins |
22 |
34 |
|
Losses |
0 |
1 |
|
Draws |
0 |
1 |
“No, I don’t think boxing will ever be my biggest victory. I’ve come back from suicide. I’ve come back from the depths of despair. So yeah, to go in there and get paid a ton of money to do a boxing match with some clown or whatever it might be, boxers, it’s child’s play compared to what I’ve had to go through.”
Even with such a significant bout on the horizon, Fury maintained that his rematch with Usyk was no different to him than any of his previous bouts.
“This boxing thing for me is just a game compared to what I’ve had to go through. It’s just a fight to me, they’re all the same. They’re all the same. Maybe [they are different] to you, but to me, I have just told you it’s just a fight.”
One of the greatest heavyweights of modern times, demand will exist to see Fury strut his stuff in between the ropes for many years to come. He’s likely to be offered some big paydays to continue his career regardless of whether or not he loses on Saturday night. However, the true test of how Tyson feels about his boxing future will come after his huge rematch this weekend.
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