Tyson Fury opts for Dillian Whyte fight after considering retirement

The heavyweight champion wavered over the potential to walk away at the top

(Getty Images)

Tyson Fury considered bowing out as world heavyweight champion after his knock-out win over Deontay Wilder in October - but has changed his mind and is set to fight Dillian Whyte instead.

That’s according to his cousin and assistant trainer, Andy Lee, who says the desire remains with Fury to train on a regular basis and “clean out the division” even if there is nobody who can aspire to genuinely beat the 33-year-old.

An 11th-round KO in the trilogy fight saw Fury retain his world title and since then there has been speculation over his next potential move.

His promoter, Frank Warren, recently explained that there was “no rush” for the Brit to make a decision and that nothing was likely to happen in any case until the WBC’s convention later in November.

But Lee, speaking on TalkSport, explained that Fury had been holding his own council for a time and was leaning towards retiring before deciding to take on the next challenger.

“I arrived in Morecambe a few weeks ago," Lee explained. "The first day we went out for a coffee and I said, ‘What do you do? Do you retire, do you hang them up?’

“[Fury] said, ‘Well, I’m thinking that way.’ And then he said, ‘On the other hand, what else am I going to do with my life?’

“He loves to train, he loves to fight and although there are no challenges out there for him, he can still take a lot of pleasure in cleaning out the division and beating up these other guys and also earn a hell of a lot of money while doing it.

“He likes the Dillian Whyte fight. He is enthused by that, that’s what he is talking about to me so I can see that being the next one.”

Fury’s father revealed the fighter needed surgery on both elbows immediately after the Wilder fight, on injuries he had going into the match-up, while he has also recently claimed that his son could defeat both Whyte and Anthony Joshua on the same night.