Is it definitely the end of his career? All the “retirements” of Tyson Fury

On January 13, boxer Tyson Fury announced the end of his boxing career. “I'm going to make this short and sweet, but I'd like to announce that I'm retiring from boxing,” Fury said in a video posted on social media.

This decision was, by and large, expected.  The Briton lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in less than a year. In the first fight against the Ukrainian, he lost the opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming the absolute heavyweight champion. In the second, he lost the opportunity to rehabilitate and did not return to the top of Olympus, even though the fight was too competitive. These defeats were made more painful by the fact that Fury had beaten every opponent in the professional ring before.

But will Tyson really stop boxing? Such a question may even be rhetorical,  as this is not the first time the British fighter has decided to retire. Fury has always been known for his complex character and controversial actions. He has repeatedly announced that he was retiring from the ring, but each time he returned. With this in mind, UNN decided to collect all the possible pros and cons of whether Fury's words about retirement can be believed.

Why Tyson Fury won't box again

Motivation. The Briton has achieved almost everything in the ring. He became a two-time world champion. The first time, back in November 2015, he defeated Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko on points. This triumph was a sensation. The Ukrainian had not lost in 11.5 years and had defended his titles 23 times. That's why Klitschko's defeat came as a real shock to boxing fans.

Tyson won his second championship in February 2020. In a rematch, he knocked out American Deontay Walder (the first fight ended in a draw). At the time, few people believed in Fury either. Walder was a formidable knockout artist, a machine that “turned off the lights” for every opponent. Moreover, Deontay held the WBC  title for almost 5 years.

Interesting fact: the Briton defeated both boxers who were at the peak of their powers. Before him, if we analyze it, only Lennox Lewis managed to do it. Even the Klitschko brothers never took the belts from fighters who were in perfect condition. Vitali became champion for the first time against the little-known Herbie Hyde, for the second time against Corrie Sanders when they were fighting for the vacant title, and for the third time against Samuel Peter, who was out of shape. Wladimir Klitschko fought for the title of the best against not the strongest boxers - he defeated Chris Byrd twice and defeated Russian Sultan Ibragimov.

So Fury is, without exaggeration, an outstanding champion. He has achieved everything one can only dream of. Many boxing experts rank the Briton among the top 10 best heavyweights in history. Fury himself has repeatedly stated that he has reached all the heights, so sometimes it is difficult for him to find motivation to fight on. Moreover, he had already lost it after his victory over Wladimir. Then Tyson disappeared from the horizon for almost three years. He started using alcohol and drugs, and found himself in a deep depression. He returned, as he said, for the championship and big money.

Money. Tyson has earned a large amount of euros and dollars in his career. He will not be as relatively poor as he was after his triumph over Klitschko. For example, for both fights against Usyk alone , the Briton earned, according to various estimates, from 120 to 160 million US dollars. Before that, about 100 million for three megafights against Walder. So the boxer will have enough money for the rest of his life. And with such a large fortune, it's very difficult to give your body to heavy loads and fights against young boxers.

Mental disorders. Fury and his entourage have repeatedly spoken about the boxer's mental illness. Tyson himself admitted that he has bipolar disorder and a craving for alcohol. Although the Briton said that boxing was the only thing that helped him fight his inner demons, in fact, everyone saw otherwise - even after his return and victory over depression, Fury sometimes got drunk in clubs and could barely stand on his feet. Moreover, it was visible to the naked eye: Tyson was far from his peak form in his last fights. So retirement and a quiet life with his family is a logical option for the former champion.

Why Tyson Fury will come back again

He ended his career many times.  Tyson constantly hung his boxing gloves on a nail and then put them back on. The first time this happened, as we have already noted, was after the victory over the younger Klitschko. The second time was before the fight with Dillian Whyte. It took place at Wembley Stadium in London in the spring of 2022. Fury knocked White out in the sixth round and announced to an audience of thousands that he was retiring. However, he returned to fight Chisora, Ngannou, and Usyk again, and before almost every one of these fights  he would go back to the old ways, hinting or saying outright that this was his “last dance” in the ring. But there have been too many such “last dances”. But what will happen this time is to be expected any day now. We shouldn't be surprised if the Briton records something again and says in his trademark style that he's fooled everyone and isn't going anywhere.

The pursuit of an absolute championship. Fury has achieved everything but the absolute in the “royal division”. He is truly one of the best fighters of our time. No matter what they say, the two fights against Usyk were too competitive, and if they hadn't been won by a Ukrainian, there would have been no big sensation or scandal. This confirms the fact that Tyson is still a world-class boxer. Therefore, it will be beneficial for promoters to keep the Briton afloat. Firstly, it's a lot of money for them, and secondly, it's a lot of money for Tyson. With Fury, you can organize a mega-fight against Anthony Joshua. Then put the Briton in the ring against the winner of the Dubois-Parker pair. If Fury wins, he has a great chance of collecting all four belts again. And the third fight against Usyk will no longer be as unnecessary as it is now. Moreover, by that time, Oleksandr may have finished his performances in the ring.

Boxing. Boxing and only boxing. Everyone knows that the main rule of every player is to stop in time. This also applies to boxers. However, as practice shows, few of them were able to do it when it was necessary. Almost all of the great champions did not want to believe that their sports career was over, that they could no longer be at the peak of their abilities, that they would never overcome their own aging. Neither Ali, nor Foreman, nor Klitschko Jr, nor Tyson, nor Holyfield went out on a limb. All of them lost badly before they finally stopped boxing. It may be the same with Fury. Whatever the case, the Briton loves boxing because this sport gave him everything: family, status, money, and a huge historical legacy. It won't be easy to give up what he loves.

But no matter what decision Tyson finally makes, he will remain a great champion who will be put on a par with the greatest names in fisticuffs.