London One month after losing a rematch to Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine, British heavyweight Tyson Fury announced his retirement from boxing once more.
In a brief video that was uploaded to his Instagram account on Monday, the 36-year-old Fury revealed the decision along with a mysterious message.
Hello everyone, I will keep this brief and to the point. Fury declared, “I would like to announce my retirement from boxing.” I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, and I’ll sum it up by saying that Dick Turpin wore a mask. I’ll meet you on the other side. God bless you everyone.
Fury’s reference to Turpin, a well-known English highway robber and horse thief from the 18th century, was not explained.
When Fury lost the rematch with Usyk in Saudi Arabia on December 21, he was unhappy with the majority verdict. But Fury landed 144 of his 509 punches, a 28% clip, while Usyk landed 179 of his 423 blows, a 42% clip.
When Fury lost their first fight in May by split decision in Riyadh, he had admitted to flaws, most notably excessive showboating.
Although it has been discussed for years, it now appears doubtful that Fury will face his countryman Anthony Joshua, as British boxing fans had hoped.
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However, Fury has already declared his retirement, most notably in August 2022, on his 34th birthday.
Two months later, however, he was battling once more.
The self-styled Gypsy King had previously hinted at an early retirement in April of that year, following his vicious uppercut that knocked out Dillian Whyte in front of almost 94,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium.
However, he never did and went on to win two more bouts, one against MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, who was making his boxing debut, and another against Derek Chisora before ultimately facing his opponent in Usyk.
Fury has 24 KOs and a 34-2-1 record.
Throughout his career, which started in 2008 and featured a draw with American boxer Deontay Wilder in 2018, Fury’s losses to Usyk were the only setbacks.
Usyk congratulated Fury in a hilarious manner after he had won the Male Fighter of the Year title from Ring magazine. After becoming friends, the two talked about how much they respected one another.
Usyk said, clenching his right fist, “My friend, greedy belly, thank you so much. You (are) great my opponent.”
Fury’s boxing promoter, Frank Warren, told the BBC that he had not communicated with Fury before he announced his retirement.
It’s fantastic if that’s what he wants to accomplish. He has exhausted all of his options. Warren told BBC radio that he was perhaps the greatest British heavyweight of his generation. Two close battles against Usyk, two times world champion. He has a wonderful family, a lot of money, and a sharp mind.