Tyson Fury reveals retirement plan as he sets deadline for final fight
Reigning WBC champion will seriously consider retirement after his next two fights providig he gets the chance to unify the entire heavyweight division
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tyson Fury will consider his boxing future once he has fought Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua, with the current WBC heavyweight champion admitting that he has just two more fights left before he wants to hang up the gloves.
The 31-year-old is currently in the process of enjoying the accolades that come with winning the heavyweight world title, having beaten Wilder in such convincing circumstances on 22 February with a seventh-round stoppage as the American’s corner threw in the towel.
But a rematch has already been slated for 18 July in Las Vegas – according to promoter Bob Arum – after Wilder activated his immediate release clause last weekend, with the pair set to meet in a trilogy bout.
With Fury tied down to both the rematch clause and a fifth and final bout on his five-fight deal with ESPN, he admitted that walking away from the ring now – as his father John expressed a desire to see – would leave him in breach of contract, but he believes that he will only need to fight two more times and become the first boxer to unify the entire heavyweight division with all four belts.
"I've got two more fights left and then we'll really think about what we're doing and go from there," Fury said on This Morning. “Because how long is a piece of string? I'm undefeated in 31 professional fights and this is my 12th year as a professional.
“I’ve already been undisputed champion of the world when I beat Klitschko, I had all the belts,” Fury added, although Wilder already had his hands on the WBC title before Fury dispatched Klitschko in 2015.
“So as far as I’m concerned Anthony Joshua’s only got my leftovers, because I never lost those belts, I had to vacate them for mental health problems to focus on my … they’re my belts.
“Until a man is defeated in the boxing ring, how can you claim to be a champion when you haven’t beat the champion? I beat the dominant heavyweight of our era with 26 title defences and went to Germany to do it. Then I went to America and beat the guy that no one would fight, and then I’ll come back and I’ll have two more fights and hopefully then we’ll sail off into the sunset.”
Fury’s decision to hang up the gloves is likely to be influenced by his family, with his father’s calls to retire boosted by wife Paris’s hope to see him call time on his career to spend more time with their children.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments