Rumours have been circulating around boxing media that Tyson Fury is set to retire after his close split decision victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
This comes after former super-middleweight champion George Groves stated it was his belief that Fury may retire after his nervy win over Ngannou as he simply could not be ready for his proposed fight with Oleksandr Usyk. He also questioned whether Fury still has the same hunger for fighting that he used to have.
Since then, Fury’s camp has confirmed that this rumour is not true. Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, dismissed the talk of retirement saying: “Th ere is absolutely no truth in this, none whatsoever”. Adding that “Tyson is raring to go” for his Heavyweight Championship unifi cation clash with Usyk.
However, there is no doubt the performance in Riyadh was concerning for the Englishman who was dropped in the third round with an overhand left. Fury was expected to dominate Ngannou, but many claim the Cameroonian should have won the fight having landed the heavier shots.
It can be said that Fury was never really in control of the fight and struggled to fi gure out how to combat the awkward style of the mixed martial artist. Former British boxer, Jonny Nelson, speaking to boxing media outlet Seconds Out believes Fury ‘didn’t deserve the win’ and worries that the Gypsy King’s ‘legs have gone’.
Moving forward this begs the question, is Tyson Fury really ready for his Unifi cation fight with Usyk and is he past his best? Post-fight Fury said Ngannou had given him one of his toughest fights in ten years and that he could have no excuses adding that ‘Francis is a good fighter’.
Fury’s comments have been pragmatic and humble suggesting he himself knew he didn’t perform to the levels required. Top Rank president Todd duBoef played down concerns believing the fight can serve as a positive for Fury in the run-up to the Usyk fight and that Tyson will be “razor, razor-sharp” the next time you see him.
DuBoef also confirmed that the “heavy lifting” has been done in agreeing the fight between Fury and Usyk, again putting to bed rumours of an early retirement for Fury.