Tyson Fury has been linked with a shock career change after announcing his retirement from boxing via social media on Monday afternoon.
Fury, 36, posted a video on social media, informing fans that he had called time on a glittering boxing career.
The video was accompanied by the caption: "Thanks it’s been a blast. Thanks to everyone who helped out along the way! Happy new year. Jesus is king now & forever."
"Hi everybody, I'm going to make this short and sweet," Fury said in the video.
Advert
"I'd like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I've loved every single minute of it and I'm going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask."
Of course, his announcement comes just over three weeks after he sustained a second career defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury, a former unified heavyweight world champion, was undefeated in the paid ranks until he lost on points via split decision against Usyk, 37, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in May 2024.
He then suffered another points loss against the Ukrainian on December 21, which took his record to 34 wins, one draw and two losses from 37 professional contests.
Since then, he has been tentatively linked with a potential all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua but this looks unlikely given Fury’s retirement admission.
What next for Tyson Fury?
Kristian Blacklock, Fury’s strength and conditioning coach for over a decade, recently explained how life after professional boxing could look like for the Morecambe-based fighter.
“I can’t imagine him ever being completely outside of boxing; it could be in so many different ways,” Blacklock told SPORTbible in December.
“He’s a very intelligent guy, especially with the boxing, his knowledge is unbelievable with the boxing.
“He could be anything from a commentator to a coach, he could go into management, he could do anything he wanted to really.
“But he doesn’t have to [work again]. Obviously, he has had a very successful career. He’s got himself into a position where he could pick and choose what he does after boxing.”
According to calculations by Forbes, back in May 2024, Fury was reportedly worth $50m. This amount would have significantly increased following his second fight against Usyk, for which he reportedly pocketed around £63.7m.
But at just 36, Fury could pursue several different career paths away from the sport. But as father John Fury often says, the family are 'fighting men'.
A potential avenue Tyson could go down is mixed martial arts (MMA).
In October 2023, he boxed and defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. But could they rematch in the octagon?
“I can’t see it [an MMA bout]," Blacklock explained.
"Maybe some sort of exhibition in the future, I don’t know. I can’t see Tyson having an MMA fight in the near future, but you just never know, do you?
“That’s obviously something for him to decide if it’s offered. But Tyson’s a boxer, he’s not an MMA fighter, and he’s never trained specifically in MMA. But who knows?”
Whatever Fury decides to do next, he will go down as one of Britain's most decorated boxers and will arguably be regarded in the top three heavyweights the country has ever produced alongside Lennox Lewis and Joshua.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Spotlight
Luke Davies