Tyson Fury has surprisingly returned to The Ring Magazine’s heavyweight rankings at the number one spot despite announcing his retirement from boxing last month, as speculation grows about a potential super-fight with Anthony Joshua, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 36-year-old “Gypsy King” stunned the boxing world in January when he proclaimed his fifth retirement from the sport following his second consecutive defeat to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, but The Ring’s latest rankings suggest the publication isn’t convinced by Fury’s decision to hang up his gloves.
Fury has been placed at the top of the heavyweight rankings behind only Usyk, who holds the WBC, WBA and WBO titles and is recognised as The Ring’s heavyweight champion. His inclusion puts him ahead of IBF champion Daniel Dubois and the resurgent Joseph Parker, who occupy the second and third spots respectively.
Meanwhile, Joshua has received a significant boost in the same rankings, climbing two places from seventh to fifth despite not having fought since his knockout defeat to Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September.
The British-Nigerian’s rise comes as a result of losses suffered by Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol II undercard in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
Fury had been removed from the list after his announced retirement but his latest presence in the rankings comes amid growing speculation about a potential comeback. Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh is keen to lure the former WBC champion back for a long-awaited showdown with Joshua.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Alalshikh revealed; “I want Tyson (next for Joshua). I spoke with him, but I don’t talk about boxing.
“I just check about his health and his family. I think maybe he’ll return. Yes, (I think he will return), I hope so.”
While Fury has remained silent on the prospect of a ring return since his retirement announcement, Joshua has expressed interest in facing his long-time rival, acknowledging the commercial and sporting appeal of such a contest.
“I feel like it’s the best fight (for me),” Joshua told iFL TV.
“People might say Parker, people might say – I don’t know. But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense.
“You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving. And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up. And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser. And there’s going to be blood shed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”
Fury was removed from all four major sanctioning body rankings last month after announcing his retirement in a brief social media video where he stated; “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it.”
Should Fury decide to return, a blockbuster clash with Joshua would undoubtedly be the biggest in British boxing history and a defining moment for both fighters’ legacies, regardless of the outcome.
