Boxing fans are questioning whether they’ve seen the last of Tyson Fury after he announced his retirement from the sport.
Fury posted a video on social media Monday saying he’s walking away from the sport.
The announcement comes as a long-rumored bout between the 36-year-old and Anthony Joshua began to gain steam again. He also said he was retiring in 2022, only to extend his career.
Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of skepticism about whether this retirement will stick:
Promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, reacted in earnest to Fury’s retirement but added it would be a “natural play” if a boxer wanted to strengthen his leverage in negotiations for a major fight.
Fury also left the world to read between the lines when he said “Dick Turpin wore a mask.”
Turpin, who lived in the 18th century, became a British legend for his exploits as a robber and thief. The phrase “at least Dick Turpin wore a mask” gained wider usage and came to represent the fact Turpin would wear a mask for his robberies. The implication is that someone is robbing you more openly.
It’s anybody’s guess as to who Fury had in mind with the remark.
“The Gypsy King” has pretty well cemented his legacy in the ring at this point.
He’s one of the greatest heavyweights of his generation. Losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk doesn’t really change that, nor would beating Joshua burnish his profile too much. Joshua, who also has a pair of defeats to Usyk, suffered a fifth-round knockout at the hands of Daniel Dubois in September.
Because of that, Fury could plausibly leave boxing behind. But a headline bout with Joshua would be a massive draw, one that will be tough to pass up.
