Tyson Fury says so many things it’s tough to keep track, to see if he keeps his word. Going into his April 23 fight with the mysteriously silent, no-showing Dillian Whyte (a man who apparently hates turning up for press conferences unless he’s paid extra dough), Fury seems to be making a lot of promises. First off, Fury says he will come in at the heaviest weight of his career. We can take that one with a pinch of salt. Make no mistake, Fury is training hard for this fight.
Secondly, Fury says he will be “more aggressive than ever” and that he will KO Whyte inside six rounds. This one may well be a promise that sticks. Thirdly, Fury, ever the showman, says he will fight with “one hand behind my back.”
“I’ll be defending with one arm, just to put on a show, show them how good I really am,” Fury said to Sky Sports News. “In this fight you’ll see me with one hand behind my back, that’s a promise.”
Pinch of salt #2, but then again, with Fury we never know for sure. This is a dangerous fight, but so were the Deontay Wilder fights, and Fury show-boated there, didn’t he? As for promise #4, Fury has said (again) that he will retire from the sport of boxing after the Whyte fight. Fury said he will buy a big yacht and enjoy his millions. This promise seems to be the least likely of the four to be kept.
How many times now has Fury said that he will retire? Too many to keep track of. But Fury is a born fighter, he loves to fight – he needs to fight. Fury needs the training lifestyle and something to work for so as to keep his demons at bay; Fury having a well-documented battle with his mental health. At age 33, Fury will NOT retire after the Whyte fight; win, lose or draw. No way.
There is still too much fighting to do – Fury against either Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua for all the marbles. No way would Fury be able to retire leaving that fight undone. We will all miss Fury when he’s gone, but this won’t be any time soon.