Tyson Fury announces retirement from boxing following Oleksandr Usyk losses

Less than 48 hours after Anthony Joshua expressed his desire to face Tyson Fury in 2025, it looks like we may never see Fury vs. Joshua.

Fury, 36, announced his retirement from boxing in a social media post on Monday morning.

“Hi everybody. I’m gonna make this short and sweet: I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing,” Fury said. “It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it, and I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side.”

Fury was a two-time world heavyweight champion, winning the title both times as an underdog. In 2015, he upset Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles in Germany, ending the Ukrainian legend’s nine-year reign, which included 18 successful title defenses.

The Brit became a two-time titleist when he stopped Deontay Wilder in seven rounds in their 2020 rematch in Las Vegas to win the WBC heavyweight crown.

Fury and Wilder fought to a controversial draw when they met in 2018, with many feeling that “The Gypsy King” was unlucky not to walk away with the green and gold belt. Fury dominated Wilder in the rematch, but the most memorable clash of them all was their 2021 trilogy contest.

After the one-sided nature of the rematch, fans went into the third fight expecting a similarly comfortable victory for Fury. What they got was the best heavyweight fight of the last decade. Fury dropped Wilder in round three but found himself having to get off the canvas himself twice just one round later in the fourth. Fury eventually recovered to score two late knockdowns and produce a highlight-reel finish of Wilder in the 11th.

Fury lost a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk in May of last year for the undisputed heavyweight crown in Riyadh. It was the most anticipated fight in recent years, and it lived up to the billing, capturing multiple nominations for Fight of the Year. Usyk inflicted a repeat win over Fury by unanimous decision in December in what was Fury’s last-ever fight — if Fury has indeed retired.

Fury previously announced his retirement after beating Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April 2022. It was short-lived, though, and the “Gypsy King” was calling out Joshua on social media just a few months later. British sports fans hope to see something similar here.

Fury vs. Joshua, even with both coming off losses, could be the biggest matchup in boxing. The public interest, especially in the U.K., is still very strong for it, and it would be a shame if we never saw the fight.