Tyson Fury has claimed for the umpteenth time that he will retire from boxing after his second successive defeat.
The Brit was undefeated before the start of 2024, but ended the year after two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, the first of which was for undisputed heavyweight gold. And the expectation was that he could give fans another big fight against Anthony Joshua this year before hanging up the gloves.
However, it now looks like he won't get that chance as he has chosen to retire from boxing. However, fans aren't entirely convinced he's serious, as this is one of numerous Fury retirements over the years.
Tyson Fury 'retires from boxing' in an abrupt statement on social media
Tyson Fury announced on social media this afternoon that he will retire from boxing after a professional career of sixteen years. The Manchester native has had an iconic career that saw him become a two-time heavyweight champion, winning all the titles, albeit separately in different runs.
“Hello everyone, I'm going to make this short and sweet,” he said in a video posted to his social media channels that immediately went viral. “I would like to announce my retirement from boxing. It was great, I loved every minute of it.”
He then left a bizarre final verse on the video, adding: “I'm going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everyone, see you on the other side. Get up!”
The phrase “At least Dick Turpin wore a mask” harkens back to the 18th century highwayman and burglar Dick Turpin. It is generally used when describing someone who robs you, and has been replaced in colloquialism in recent years by cruder terms.
Fury's past retirements have all been publicity stunts, and it is believed this could be a similar situation.
Tyson Fury was angry about the assessment of Oleksandr Usyk's defeats
Both times Fury and Usyk fought this year, the judges had the unenviable task of picking a winner when they reached the final bell. The first fight was a more contentious split-decision, while the Ukrainian was widely considered to have done enough in the second.
However, the Briton disagreed with that assessment and emphasized afterwards that he deserved the victory. In footage captured by IFL TV immediately after the fight, Fury, flanked by his son Prince, asked his former trainer Ben Davison what he thought of the fight.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
His former trainer told him: “I thought it was terrifying, I thought you were going to get it if I'm honest.” The former champion then gave his opinion, telling the cameras and Davison, “I swear to God, I thought I won it by at least three rounds.”
He then walked off, with the coach advising the IFL cameras to let them speak off camera. Since then, more footage has emerged of him blaming judges in Saudi Arabia for making the wrong decision, claiming it is harder to make decisions in the Middle East.
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