‘He was looking forward to fighting last week’ - Fury’s latest retirement surprises Warren

Frank Warren has revealed his surprise following Tyson Fury’s latest retirement announcement, but insists his wishes must be supported.

The Gypsy King has not fought since successfully defending his belts against Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April, where he immediately expressed his intention to retire.

However, Fury excited fans last week when he announced his intention to return to the ring with a fight against Derek Chisora, while the winner of Anthony Joshua’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk was also touted as a likely opponent.

Fury’s desire to retire

Nevertheless, he again reiterated his desire to retire on Friday - his 34th birthday - and vacated his Ring Magazine heavyweight title belt.

Although this is not the first time that Fury has announced his intention to hang up his gloves, he has not previously relinquished a belt.

And his decision came as a surprise to co-promoter Warren, who told Fight Night on talkSPORT: “At the end of the day, if that’s what he wants to do, that’s his right to do it.

“He was actually looking forward to fighting last week; he was actually talking about fighting, but that’s how he feels at the moment.

“If that’s how he feels, that’s how it is; we’ve all got to support what he’s doing.

“I spoke to him a few times last week, and he told me he’s weighing exactly what he was weighing for his last fight against Dillian Whyte – that’s how hard he’s training.”

Warren still hopeful

But Warren is hopeful that Fury will perform another U-turn for a crack at the winner of the eagerly anticipated bout between Joshua and Usyk on August 20.

“I know he’s frustrated and next week - the 20th - it’s a big, big fight, and all eyes will be on it,” he added.

“Whoever wins that fight, everyone will want to see him fight Tyson. If Tyson wants to do it, he will. If he doesn’t, he won’t.”