Tyson Fury retiring? Family, oddsmakers expect champ to box again
Tyson Fury still says that he’s going to emulate Rocky Marciano by retiring as the undefeated heavyweight champion after his sensational sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte on Saturday in London.
Others – including family members and the oddsmakers – have their doubts.
Fury’s wife and father said the WBC titleholder won’t be able to resist a showdown with the winner of the tentative bout between three-belt champ Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the undisputed championship.
“I would like him to come out now,” wife Paris Fury said, according to The Guardian. “He has nothing more to prove. For Tyson to keep boxing, it just seems for one reason and I know in my heart, I think the only reason that Tyson will come back is for the unification fight.”
John Fury said a unification fight would be particularly attractive to his son if Joshua manages to avenge his loss to Usyk. Fans have yearned for an all-British Fury-Joshua fight for years.
“If AJ can win,” the elder Fury said, “wild horses couldn’t keep Tyson in retirement.”
One betting outlet believes, based on its odds, that there’s a good chance Fury will take part in a sanctioned boxing match again this year with even shorter odds for 2023.
The outlet, William Hill, says there’s about a 50% chance Fury will fight again this year and 75% he’ll be back before the end of next year. There’s a 33% chance he won’t fight again by the end of 2023, according to the company.
“There’s still business to be done for Tyson Fury,” said Michael Hill spokesperson Tony Kenny, according to DAZN News. “A unification bout could be on the table soon. …
“Fury is a crowd-pleaser, and nothing would satisfy the masses more than a dust-up with Anthony Joshua. That fight would surely draw Fury out of retirement and we make it evens to happen before the end of next year.”
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury himself is talking about other endeavors.
He said he might take part in a WWE wrestling event in either July or September. He wrestled in 2019. He reiterated that a hybrid exhibition with MMA star Francis Ngannou is realistic possibility.
What about boxing?
“I’ve fulfilled everything I’ve ever wanted to fulfil,” he said. “I’m going to be the second heavyweight in history after Rocky Marciano to retire undefeated. I’ve won every belt there is to win. If this was a computer game, it would definitely be completed for sure.”
