We all know he is, shall we say, prone to change his mind quite often, and that’s putting it mildly, but Tyson Fury’s latest frame of mind has ruled out any ring return next year. A while back, Frank Warren said that Fury was very much interested in a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk, and that as things stand, the 37-year-old was looking at coming back in 2026. Also, Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn remains convinced a fight between AJ and Fury is “inevitable.”
Billion-Pound Temptation Rejected
But today, in speaking with FurociTV, Fury sounded about as certain as he has ever been that there will be no 2026 ring return.
“There’s no actual reason for me to go back in a boxing ring,” Fury said. “I am 37 years old, and I’ve been punched for 25 years. What do I want to go back to boxing for? It used to be about money and the titles. But now I’ve got more money than I can spend and unlimited amounts of belts and titles. Does it make me happier? No. Was the chase better than the victory? Yes. The climb was better than the mountain peak. I could go back to boxing at any given time, but I just don’t want to. I’ve got no interest or clamour for the limelight. You could offer me £1 billion today and it wouldn’t move the needle, it wouldn’t turn me on, because I have gone past that point of caring what people think.”
It sure must be nice to find oneself in a position to be able to say the offer of £1 billion would not tempt you to fight again when you’re a fighter and you are still not too far removed from your physical prime. But Fury – who, to repeat, changes his mind more often than he changes his socks, and may well do so again over the coming months, even weeks – does indeed seem firm this time.
Has Fury Truly Closed The Door?
Do we all really want to see Fury fight again? Sure, that all-British showdown with Joshua is out there still, and it would be a shame if that fight did not happen. But as far as seeing Fury fight Usyk again, is there much fan demand for that? No.
Fury has earned his fortune, and now he is entitled to enjoy it how he sees fit. It is called prize fighting, at the end of the day, and if Fury no longer has any prize he wants to fight for, then why lace up the gloves again?
That said, there will no doubt be plenty of fans who refuse to believe we will not see Fury in a ring again.
