Recently, via his own, oft-used social media account, unbeaten former unified heavyweight champ Tyson Fury announced how he was back in training, aiming for a return to the ring this May. It is clear that this will not happen.
We’ve all seen the various photos depicting a clearly out of shape and much overweight Fury, and yesterday in Manchester, in speaking with Box Nation pundit Steve Lillis, Fury – appearing to have lost none of the excess weight he has piled on since his sensational November 2015 upset decision win over Wladimir Klitschko in Germany – said that he is “not back in the gym.”
Fury didn’t give an exact answer regarding if and when he may return to the ring, but it really doesn’t sound – or look – as though the big man will be back in action this summer; certainly not in May.
“I’m not back in the gym but I heard about this young lad (hot prospect Daniel Dubois) so now I can say I’ve sparred with a young kid coming up,” Fury told Lillis. “I’m still lineal champion, I’m still Ring Magazine champion, but like I said many times once I leave it’ll go back to its boring, boring place that it was before with a pack of arse kissers and yes men and that’s what you’ve got now. No real talk.”
It’s certainly true that Fury, 25-0(18) added plenty of excitement (and plenty of controversy; sometimes a little too much) to the heavyweight division, but will he ever do so again? Does Fury really have the sheer desire and the necessary discipline to push himself through a gruelling, championship-calibre training camp? In the past, Fury has spoken of his very real dislike for training, even for the sport of boxing itself.
Fury has said in the past that he is only in boxing for the money, and now that he’s rich, with a few £million safely in the bank, his dream of becoming world champion realised, maybe he knows deep down that he is done. Fury will certainly surprise plenty of people if he does manage to shift the excess 60-pounds or so of weight he appears to be carrying, and gets back in the ring at top level.
Until this day comes, Fury seems destined to go down in history with one big ‘what if’ next to his name.