Tyson Fury has stunned the boxing world by announcing his retirement following successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
It comes as the 36-year-old, from Morecambe, was tipped to fight fellow British heavyweight Anthony Joshua in 2025. However, following today’s (January 13) bombshell statement, it appears the fight is no longer on the cards.
The Gypsy King faced defeat in his most recent bout in December at the hands of heavyweight supremo Usyk, marking the second time he has been bested by the Ukrainian. Taking to social media with a succinct video message, Fury made his plans clear to his followers.
He said: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing.
“It’s been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it.”
Fury then concluded the announcement by cryptically saying: “I’m going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. Get up!”.
Fans rushed to comment on Fury’s Instagram post, with one saying: “Long live the GYPSY KING” while another added: “Sad the ride is over but thank you for everything.”
A third said: “Happy retirement champ you have gave us all some unforgettable nights Trips and memories”. A fourth added: “Well deserved retirement legend”
Another commented: “Oh come on… you can beat AJ and then retire?” .while another said: “Lost count how many retirements he’s had. Fury vs AJ in 2025.”
Boxing fans have noted that Fury has retired from the sport twice in the past. The first came after his historic victory over Wladimir Klitschko and again after he beat Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.
The dad-of-seven said regarding his potential retirement after losing to Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month: “You might see me fight again, you might not.”
Yet a clash with Joshua has been hotly debated ever since. Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom Boxing Joshua’s promoter, said following Fury’s loss: “The reality is there’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that’s Anthony Joshua. It’s the biggest fight probably in the history of British boxing, everyone will always want to see it.”
Fury and Joshua had been scheduled to fight in late 2022, with the Gypsy King the reigning WBC heavyweight champion at the time. Negotiations then collapsed, with Fury instead defending his title against Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joshua’s last fight, meanwhile, came in September. The Olympic gold medalist was stopped in the fifth round by Britain’s Daniel Dubois for the IBF title.
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