Tyson Fury has told the Lightweight Boxing show, that he will be “fully retired” after his fight with Dillian Whyte at Wembley on April 23rd. Speaking at the first press conference, which he was forced to do alone after Whyte failed to show up, he told our cameras this could well be the last time we see him in the ring, after being asked about retirement.
“Yep, fully retired after the fight. Don’t call me as I won’t answer the phone.”
Of course, with Fury’s way with words and jokey persona, we can never be truly sure if this is gospel - especially when you consider he is yet to fight the likes of Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. But the WBC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight champion has been frustrated on several occasions when it comes to making that all-British fight with AJ happen, and has said in the past he would like to face off against Whyte before hanging up his gloves.
It was thought that Fury’s farewell fight would be in his home city of Manchester, with Old Trafford a dream venue for the Manchester United fan, but his 33rd and possibly final fight of his career will be held at Wembley. The record attendance for boxing at that stadium currently stands at 80,000 - when AJ beat Wladmir Klitschko - but now Frank Warren and his team are looking at the possibility of getting even more fans in attendance for this all-British clash.
“This is not in Manchester because it is at the capital city’s stadium, and it very rarely becomes available for boxing matches,” Fury said, when asked why this fight wasn’t taking place in the north-west.
This comes after a long day of press for the Gypsy King, who it seems is being forced to sell this fight on his own. In a comical press conference, he did a faux face off with his absent opponent, before Warren got himself in-between the two fighters to hold them apart. It’s a strange tactic for Whyte to impose, and he seems unhappy with the money he is receiving, which according to Fury is £8m, 32 times more than he has received for a single bout before.
If this is the last time we see Fury in the ring it will mark a premature end to a glittering career. But knowing the Gypsy King, he just might fancy coming back for more…
