As a young kid, Tyson Fury initially gravitated to the sport of boxing for a number of reasons. The freedom to punch someone in the face without getting in trouble, the artistry of it, and of course, those beautiful world titles.
By all accounts, Fury has accomplished everything he could dream of. A win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 netted him three of the four major world titles. A victory against Deontay Wilder in 2020 allowed him to grab another crown, the WBC version.
As Fury stood at the top of the mountain and was seemingly at his best, he waved goodbye. Although no one believed him, Fury insisted that he was done with the sport late this year.
To the surprise of no one, the 35-year-old eventually made his way back. Now, a long list of names are anxious to unseat him. From the established vets such as Andy Ruiz Jr., Anthony Joshua, and Zhilei Zhang, to the young up-and-comers like Jared Anderson and Filip Hrgovic – Fury isn’t short on options.
If, however, any of those aforementioned names, including Oleksandr Usyk, the heavyweight divisions WBO, IBF, IBO and WBA titlist, are waiting in line to face him, they might as well go in another direction.
“I have no interest in fighting those guys,” said Fury during an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. “I didn’t come back this time for belts, I came back to secure my family and I’ve done it.”
If that’s Fury’s mindset, then his upcoming showdown against Francis Ngannou makes all the sense in the world.
Bereft of any true boxing experience, Ngannou, after a lengthy title reign in the UFC, is having his pro debut this October against Fury. While most aren’t giving him a chance, the amount of loot both men will be reeling in is life-changing.
So, unless a more traditional boxer can guarantee that Fury will make a boatload of cash, he’ll continue to make these arbitrary pit stops to take on big names for extraordinary amounts of cash.
“When I came back into boxing, I said I wanted to make as much money as possible.”