On Monday morning, Tyson Fury officially announced his retirement from boxing — again.
Fury has claimed to be retiring from the sport on several prior occasions, most notably in April 2022 after he knocked out Dillian Whyte in the sixth round at Wembley Stadium to retain his WBC heavyweight title. That retirement lasted just a few months though, and by the late summer, Fury already was calling out British rival Anthony Joshua again.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is one man who doesn’t seem convinced by Monday’s news.
“If you haven’t got the heart for it anymore and you don’t want to compete anymore, I think retirement is the best option,” Hearn said to Matchroom Boxing. “It’s disappointing, obviously, for British fight fans because we’ve got a chance to make the biggest fight in boxing.
“But if that is the last we see of him, he’s had a great career. I doubt it. It’s always best to come into retirement to make sure someone pays you to come out of retirement. But if that’s his lot, much respect to him, and wish him all the best.”
“If I was looking for the right deal, I would go into retirement too,” Hearn added when asked why he doubted Fury’s announcement. “But I can’t speak on his behalf, that’s just what I would [do]. I think it’s a natural play.”
Hearn further explained his belief that Fury’s latest exit from the sport could be a tactic to extract a larger financial offer for his next fight.
Hearn’s charge, Joshua, called for a long-awaited showdown with Fury in 2025 over the weekend at the Ring Magazine awards in London, and less than 48 hours later, Fury has seemingly bowed out of the sport. It all seems a little too convenient for Hearn’s liking.
“It has to happen this year,” Joshua said on Saturday about a Fury clash. “Especially with His Excellency Turki [Alalshikh], DAZN, Eddie [Hearn], Matchroom, 258 [Management] behind me. And [Fury] being managed by Spencer [Brown] and Goldstar now, I think we can definitely make this fight happen.”
Other reactions to Fury’s retirement
Fury’s long-time promoter, Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, delivered a heartfelt message upon hearing the news of Fury’s latest retirement announcement.
“God bless him. If that’s what he wants to do, that’s what he should do,” Warren told TNT Sports. “No one should be trying to influence him in the boxing world, [telling him] what he should do. It’s up to him at the end of the day, after consulting his family.
“He’s made a lot of money, he’s had a fantastic career, probably [the] joint best heavyweight of this century. He’s been in some magnificent fights. I’ve loved every minute of it, and I hope all the fans have as well.”
Fury’s manager Spencer Brown told Ring Magazine on Monday that the news “was a shock and it wasn’t a shock.” Brown said he found out via Fury’s social media announcement just as the same as everyone else.
“Whatever he decides, we back him fully. He’s got a young family and he’s got seven children. Tyson, he does things spirit of the moment, but I think this is it for him,” Brown said. “He’s a very rich man, he lives a very mundane life. He doesn’t even go on holiday really — maybe he should look at doing that more. But that’s not the last we’re going to see of Tyson Fury, that’s for certain.”
Former world champion and Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson believes that Fury intends to hang up the gloves, but the temptation of a Joshua fight, and the purse that comes with it, will be too much for him to resist.
“I think today Tyson Fury believes he’s retiring, [believes] he’s not going to [fight] again,” Nelson told Pro Boxing Fans. “We’ve seen it before, and I’m sure the common word’s going to be ‘the boy that cried wolf.’ I think in reality, Tyson Fury knows there’s still a big purse on the table against Anthony Joshua, that’s always there.
“Tyson believes [he’s retiring] today, [but] I don’t believe him. And I’m quite sure [the announcement is] not having the desired effects or belief from the masses because he’s done it before.”
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson also weighed in on the topic in his appearance on Monday afternoon’s episode of “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Uncrowned.
“Nah, I’m not calling cap,” Stevenson said. “I think he’s ready to give it up, and I think that he had a tremendous career. One of the best heavyweights to do it, and respect to him.
“I think he made a lot of money. I think he’s in it for the biggest and best fights, but he made so much money, he can just sit down and chill and relax.”
