Tyson Fury has announced his shock retirement from boxing – with hopes of a last dance with long-time domestic rival Anthony Joshua now finally dead in the water.
The 36-year-old’s announcement comes off the back of his second defeat on the spin to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month. The Gypsy King lost out on a split decision to the Ukrainian star in a bout for the undisputed heavyweight crown in May 2024 and was on the other end of a points decision in their rematch in Riyadh on December 21. The Manchester boxer felt aggrieved with both decisions and even went as far as claiming that the judges had robbed him of regaining his world titles last month.
Boxing fans had hoped that Fury would return to the ring one last time for long-awaited showdown with Joshua – who is also facing questions about his future in the sport after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September. But in a short clip on his Instagram page, Fury appears to suggest that his fighting days are finally over after nearly 18 years as a professional. The 6ft 9″ giant also reiterated his thoughts on the defeat to Usyk by making reference to infamous thief Dick Turpin.
He said: “I am going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast and I’ve loved every single minute of it and I am going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody and see you on the other side. Get up!”
However, some fans may feel inclined to take the news with a pinch of salt. After knocking out Dillian Whyte in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley in April 2022, Fury confirmed that he was walking away from the sport, only to come back and fight Derek Chisora for a third time in the following December.
At the Ring Magazine’s annual awards on Saturday night, two-time heavyweight world champion Joshua had revealed his plan to finally get it on with Fury in 2025. He said: “It’s a fight I want to see because I am a fan of boxing.
“When I am in the gym, everyone is asking me [about this fight]. I ain’t got many years ahead of me.
“I want to leave the game with a bang and make an impact. Everyone is asking me the same question. It’s up to me to deliver, that’s why I’m saying it has to happen this year. I think we can make this fight happen.”