Promoter Frank Warren doesn’t think it is out of the question that Tyson Fury could decide to retire, now that his undisputed heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk is no longer in play.
The head of Queensberry Promotions floated that possibility on Thursday, one day after word was relayed that protracted negotiations between Fury, the WBC titlist, and Usyk, the WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO champion, were officially dead in the water.
Usyk’s team has stated that they intend to pursue a fight with Daniel Dubois, the mandatory challenger for one of Usyk’s titles. Like Fury, Dubois is promoted by Warren.
Fury’s future, on the other hand, is a bit more muddled, Warren noted.
“Tyson’s a bit [pissed off] because, obviously, he’s been in training constantly,” Warren said in an interview with SecondsOut, contradicting Fury’s suggestion this week that he had just begun his training camp. “He’s got his trainer in. It’s not a conversation [we’ve had yet.] Everything’s too raw at the moment. We’ll work it out.
“Listen, he may retire – I don’t know what he wants to do. He’ll do whatever he wants to do. He’s the guy getting in the ring. Everyone sitting outside making their comments, I find it quite insulting. Tyson Fury who went to Germany, done all the things that Usyk done, beat the best guy of his generation (then champion Wladimir Klitschko), went to America and beat the hardest punching guy (Deontay Wilder).”
If Fury, indeed, does end up announcing his retirement, it would not be the first time.
Indeed, the Manchester native has had a long history of broadcasting his intention to leave the sport—only to return. In 2016, amid drug and mental health problems, Fury announced that he was retiring. A few hours later, he recanted that statement.
The following year, however, Fury once again insisted he was hanging up the gloves.
Of course, Fury would return to the ring in 2018, fighting three times, including the first fight with Wilder, which ended in a split decision draw.
More recently, Fury stated his intentions to retire after stopping countryman Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in London last April. Barely five months later, Fury announced that he had changed his mind once more, citing boredom. “Nobody believed me, anyway, did they?” Fury said at the time.
Warren said he would be supportive of whatever decision his star charges ends up making.
“Tyson’s a very philosophical guy, and he will do whatever he chooses to do,” Warren said. “And whatever he chooses to do, I’m there with him.”
Usyk and members of his team have blamed Fury for being unreasonable with his frequent demands, even though they had agreed to a lopsided 70/30 financial split in favor of Fury.
Warren, in turn, has accused Usyk of being a hypocrite by pulling out of the fight, despite stating his indifference to money.
“I genuinely thought he said what he wanted – he don’t care about money, he just wants to fight for the four belts,” Warren said. “But he pulled out of the fight. You can dress it up, slag off me, slag off Tyson Fury. They. Pulled. Out.”