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Nigerian-born former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua is bound to miss out on the opportunity of battling fellow-British fighter, Tyson Fury in a megabucks unification bout, as ‘The Gypsy King’ says he has retired from the sport.
While Joshua is looking up to regaining his belts in a rematch with Ukraine’s Oleksndr Usyk in September, the London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist would also have been plotting how to edge aside Fury in a unifacation tussle sometime next year.
However, that prospect might never see the light of day, as Fury leant forward into the microphone and barely paused for breath as he proceeded to reel off his resume of boxing accolades having just knocked out Dillian Whyte in front of a European-fight record 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Two English titles, two British titles, two Commonwealth titles, the Irish heavyweight title, the European title, WBO Inter-Continental title, WBO International, WBO Super, WBA Super, IBF, IBO, Ring Magazine, Lineal, WBC, WBC Mayan II, WBC Global.
Megasportsarena.com reports, though, that, despite the haul of dreams and perhaps headed for the Hall of Fame, the prospect of a unification bout against the winner of Joshua’s summer rematch with Usyk presents itself as a fitting ‘how could you resist?’
However, for Fury, retirement lingers as a familiar, long-considered, at-peace temptation but, showman aside, he likes dad life, he likes husband life, he is conscious of maximising life with his family; nobody could blame him for putting all of that first.
If Saturday should be the final farewell, Fury goes out on the sweetest and nastiest sixth-round uppercut to dispatch mandatory challenger Whyte in a contest the WBC champion governed with guile of its own class.
The 33-year-old serial champion admitted later he would have been just as satisfied finishing things off with a 12-round points decision victory.
Fury also appeared to confirm his plans to retire before bringing UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou into the ring as the pair fuelled long-standing talk of a mixed-rules clash.
That opportunity evidently carried more appeal than a prospective meet with one of Joshua or Usyk.
Fury retorted: “I’ve said what I’ve said, I’m happy with my decisions, I’m going to go home with my wife and my kids, I’ve been away for a long time, I’ve fulfilled everything I ever wanted to fulfill.
“I’ve won every belt there is to win. If this was a computer game it would definitely be completed for sure. I’m going to retire as only the second heavyweight in history to retire undefeated after Rocky Marciano.
“Two-time Ring Magazine heavyweight champion of the world, there’s never been a Ring Magazine holder in my era, there hasn’t been a lineal in my era either.
“Before I fought Deontay Wilder 3, I was in my house in Vegas and I said to (wife) Paris ‘this is going to be the last fight, I just don’t want to do it anymore’ and she said ‘yes I’m happy, let it be the last fight.’
“Then after the fight, I said to her in the shower, ‘it’s definitely the last fight, there’s no more of this’. I was happy with that decision.
“I get a call from Frank (Warren) saying we can do a homecoming fight at Wembley. I said to Paris ‘I’ve got to go one more time, I’ve got to get the boots out again’.
“It was a tough decision. I was happy being in Morecambe retired and going to the gym to watch Joe Parker and Tommy (Fury) train.
“I will not rule out exhibitions for sure, Big Francis Ngannou was here today, he’s on my hit list in an exhibition fight, either in a cage, in a boxing ring, boxing gloves, UFC gloves.
“We can make it happen. He’s a monster of a guy, I’m a monster of a guy, so that will be a Clash of the Titans for sure.
Fury resorted to expletives when pressed again on potentially facing Joshua or Usyk, as he quoted Clark Gable in saying: “I just don’t give a damn!”
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