Former two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from boxing. Fury posted a short message on social media announcing Monday, weeks after losing his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the Unified Heavyweight Championship.
“Hello everyone, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury said. “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every minute of it and I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wearing a mask. God bless, everyone, see you on the other side.”
“At least Dick Turpin wore a mask” is a British idiom referring to an English highwayman of the 1700s, meaning that at least he had the sense to hide his identity when taking people’s money.
Fury won the IBF, WBA and WBO titles with a win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, becoming world champion for the first time. His time as champion did not last long as he was stripped by the IBF of planning to go ahead with a contracted rematch with Klitschko without facing the IBF mandated Vyacheslav Glazkov. After that, the rematch was postponed after Fury made weight and sprained an ankle, followed by a failed drug test.
After dealing with a subsequent suspension and mental health struggles, Fury returned to the ring in 2018. He would fight three times that year, with the third fight featuring a remarkable performance against WBC champion Deontay Wilder that saw Fury rise from a brutal knockdown and seemingly earn it. A win, although the scorecard resulted in a split draw.
Fury would defeat Wilder in their 2020 rematch to become the WBC champion and also win their 2021 rematch.
The long-awaited fight with Usyk took place in 2024, with Usyk winning a split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. It was Fury’s first loss as a professional. After losing the rematch this past December, Fury claimed to have reached the end of the road.
Of course, this is far from the first time Fury has announced retirement, having previously claimed to retire in 2013, 2017 and 2022.
With a potential fight with fellow British superstar Anthony Joshua still hugely lucrative, it remains to be seen whether this retirement will be in Fury’s favour.
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