Tyson Fury has been a true force at heavyweight. He has beaten a who’s who of heavyweight stars, from Wladimir Klitschko to Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder, the latter twice. A future Hall of Famer, Fury has accomplished all there is in boxing.
However, the one thing “The Gypsy King” has not been able to do is beat the mighty Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury lost against Usyk in May in an enthralling contest that crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in their 1999. He got knocked down in the ninth round and lost via split decision.
In the rematch, Fury lost again, this time via unanimous decision (116-112 across the board). A heavier Fury could not block quick shots from Usyk through the fight, who had a better connect percentage mark compared to the former (42.3% to 28.3%).
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It was a big blow to future plans in the division for Fury, who was hoping for a trilogy with the Ukrainian southpaw. The former lineal champion has now lost two straight after going unbeaten for over 15 years as a professional.
It begs the question: Now 36, is this the last we have seen Tyson Fury in a boxing ring?
Will Tyson Fury retire after Oleksandr Usyk loss?
Fury did not speak in the ring following the fight, so his status is still unknown.
The only reaction to come from him was backstage, when he stated he thought he won by three rounds.
Tyson Fury reacts to his rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk 🗣️ #UsykFury2 x #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/CZtbQJKPGw
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) December 21, 2024
“I thought I won the fight again, I was Larry Holmesed again. I was on the front foot the entire time.” Fury said via ESPN. “When you don’t get the knockout this is what can happen.”
It may take a while before we find out what the future holds for Fury. However, “The Gyspy King” has teased retirement before.
The Manchester-born fighter “retired” after beating Dillian Whyte in 2022 but returned a few months later to beat Derek Chisora for a third time. Since then, he’s beat former UFC champion Francis Ngannou but was embarrassingly knocked down by the boxing novice. Fury then lost to Usyk twice.
Back in February, after a cut suffered in sparring forced the first Usyk fight to be pushed back, Fury dismissed rumors of retirement on social media.
“I’m hearing talk of people saying that I should retire or I’m gonna retire soon, or whatever. I ain’t retiring anywhere,” he told DAZN. “I’ve got two fights with Usyk, for the undisputed twice. Then I’m gonna fight AJ at least once. Maybe twice if there’s a rematch, if he wants one after the first battering I give him. And then I’m gonna fight Ngannou again.
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“And that’s just to start. So there’s five little fights for you to whet your appetite with. I ain’t going nowhere. Nowhere. I’m 35 years old in the prime of my life.”
Since then, Joshua has been knocked out by Daniel Dubois, now the IBF heavyweight champion. However, a fight against “AJ,” despite their losing records, would still be massive for U.K. boxing fans.
Meanwhile, Ngannou returned to MMA, winning his first fight with the PFL. It is unknown if he will compete in the cage again or re-enter the boxing ring.
A Fury retirement, if he chooses to make that choice, could be short-lived again, as nothing is ever certain in boxing.
