Will Tyson Fury retire or fight Francis Ngannou? Or both?
Minutes after appearing to confirm that he would retire after defending his WBC Heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury hints at another bout.
There are two hard and fast rules when it comes to Tyson Fury and boxing fans. Number one: don’t believe anything that he says. And number two: believe every word he says.
In the leadup to his all-British heavyweight bout with Dillian Whyte, he repeatedly spoke of retiring after. Win, lose, or draw, he was going to hang up his gloves. After his superb uppercut in the sixth ended the fight with a knockout, he repeated that sentiment.
Full of praise for his opponent, Fury said that his fight with Whyte was “a great way to go out” and that “I think this might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King.”
“I believe Dillian will be a world champion. I am one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and unfortunately for Dillian Whyte, he had to face me tonight. He is as strong as a bull and a heart of the lion but you are not messing with a mediocre heavyweight.”
Fight fans have long thought that any retirement on Fury’s part would be subject to a matchup with Anthony Joshua or Oleksander Usyk being on the table. But now there is another wrinkle in the Tyson Fury tapestry. Almost immediately after seeming to confirm his pending retirement, he met UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou in the ring and appeared to confirm a pending match between the two.
Ngannou, known in MMA as the Predator, has been teasing a transition into boxing lately. Together, the two champs began talking up a showdown, with Fury referring to “an explosive fight when it happens.” Ngannou added, “We’re going to find out who the Baddest Motherf***er on the Planet is?”
The Cameroonian-born French MMA champ is currently in a contract dispute with the UFC and is not set to return to the octagon for the rest of the year, having had ACL reconstruction and MCL repair last month.
He seems confident that the fight will be made around this time next year, and with the Gypsy King, you definitely believe it. And then again, you don’t.