Tyson’s Fury has flirted with retirement for better parts of the last 18 months.
After knocking out Dillian Whyte in April 2022, Fury claimed he called it quits from boxing. The WBC heavyweight champion was never stripped of his title, and he ended up changing his tune and returning months later in December to knock out Derek Chisora.
Fury (30-0-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t fought since the Chisora rematch, but he next has a date with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on October 28 in a crossover boxing match in Saudi Arabia.
WBO, WBA, IBF, and IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk is next in line for Fury after Ngannou, and should Fury fight his way to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the 35-year-old has plans to be gracing the ring for years to come.
“I’m looking to sign another 10-fight deal after this, so I don’t know, I’m going to put my feelers out there and see who I can get the best deal off for another 10 fights,” Fury told ESPN boxing insider Mike Coppinger in an interview.
“What else is there? I retire, plenty of money, plenty of achievement, whatever — 35 [years old]. What am I going to do? … This makes me f—ing happy fighting. This is all I’ve ever done and all that’s ever made me happy. So it’d be stupid now to walk away from it when I’m making millions of dollars and getting loads of joy from it as well.”
“The Gypsy King” Fury has become one of the faces of boxing after a thrilling trilogy with Deontay Wilder, winning two fights by knockout in 2021 and 2020, and fighting to a draw in the first match in 2018.
The eclectic British boxer wants to avoid injuries in order to continue entertaining the masses.
“I’ve been boxing 15 years as a pro. I’m going to be prone to injuries, you know, elbows, knees, shoulders, ankles, everything that can go wrong on somebody usually at our age now that goes wrong,” said Fury.
“Boxing is definitely more entertaining when I’m in it,” Fury added. “I’ll say boxing will be- f—ed when I’m gone.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.