Tyson Fury has called it quits on his boxing career. The heavyweight champion made the announcement on Instagram today, throwing a wrench in the works for a highly-desired fight with Anthony Joshua.
Fury's decision comes after a tough year in the ring. In May 2024, he suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, losing his bid for the undisputed heavyweight title. The rematch in December didn't go his way either. Usyk's movement and output proved too much for Fury, resulting in a unanimous decision loss.
With both Fury and Joshua coming off defeats (Joshua lost to Daniel Dubois by KO in the fifth round), fans hoped the stage was set for their long-awaited "Battle of Britain". Joshua had given the green light, but Fury remained silent on the proposal until now.
Fury took to Instagram to break the news, keeping it brief:
"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, and I'm going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. Get up."
The mention of Dick Turpin, a British highwayman known for concealing his identity during robberies, might hint at Fury's feelings about his recent bouts with Usyk. Some fans will interpret this as Fury suggesting he didn't get fair treatment in those fights.
Fury's no stranger to retirement announcements. He hung up his gloves after his historic win over Wladimir Klitschko, and again following his victory against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium. Those comebacks might make some fans skeptical about the finality of this decision.
If Fury sticks to his guns this time, it'll shake up the heavyweight division. Fans will certainly feel let down about missing out on the Fury-Joshua showdown. But in the unpredictable world of boxing, you never know what might happen next.
