- Tyson Fury postponed his undisputed duel with Oleksandr Usyk last week
- Some fans are wondering if he is on his way to retirement
- Fury has insisted he will not retire, and he wants at least five more fights
Tyson Fury has insisted he has no plans to retire from boxing anytime soon after postponing his undisputed heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury, 35, was due to face Usyk on February 17 but pulled out of the bout last week after suffering a serious cut in sparring.
His withdrawal led some fans to doubt that Fury and Usyk would ever fight, especially since the Gypsy King suffered a worrying laceration to his right eyelid.
But the fight has now been moved to May 18 and Fury posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday to assure fans he will face Usyk, before setting his sights on Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou.
“I keep hearing people say I should retire, or that I’m going to retire soon, or whatever. “I’m not retiring anywhere,” he said.
Tyson Fury has insisted he has no plans to retire from boxing anytime soon
Fury postponed his fight with Oleksandr Usyk last week after a sparring cutback but claims he still wants to face the Ukrainian twice
He has also said he wants to fight Anthony Joshua after previously ruling out a clash with his compatriot
“I’ve got two fights with Usyk before the undisputed, then I’m going to fight AJ at least once, maybe twice if there’s a rematch, if he wants one, after the first beatdown I give him.
‘And then I’m going to fight Ngannou again. And that’s just the beginning, so there are five little battles to whet your appetite. I’m not going anywhere, nowhere.’
Fans have been anticipating an all-British showdown between Fury and Joshua for years, but it hasn’t materialized.
Fury told me Mailsport in September that he had no interest in sharing the ring with his domestic rival, telling Joshua to ‘go to the back of the queue’.
However, both men have had contrasting fortunes since then, with Fury only scraping past former UFC champion Ngannou on points after being knocked out in October, while Joshua dispatched respected heavyweight contender Otto Wallin in five rounds two months later.
This has increased interest in Fury and Joshua finally settling their differences, with the latter appearing to be back to his best after a number of below-par performances previously.
Joshua could finally face Fury after impressing against Otto Wallin last time out
Fury struggled in his last fight against Francis Ngannou and has called for a rematch with the former UFC champion after he faces Usyk and Joshua
Fury’s latest statement indicates he is also keen to test himself against Joshua, should he get past Usyk first.
His willingness to fight Ngannou again could also excite fans considering how close their first fight was.
Few gave Ngannou a prayer to beat Fury in his first professional boxing match, but he almost upset the odds when he sent the WBC champion to the canvas with a left hook in the third round and had several other moments of success.
Ngannou’s impressive performance has earned him another huge fight as he faces Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia, with both men looking to move one step closer to a title shot and possibly a meeting with Fury.