Oleksandr Usyk has made it clear he will not take Tyson Fury‘s retirement at face worth, dismissing the boxer’s newest exit as something however remaining. Simply months after scoring a second dominant win over Fury in December, Usyk insists the Brit remains to be in coaching and will return – a powerful sign {that a} mega-fight with Anthony Joshua stays on his radar.
On January 13, 2025, Fury formally introduced his retirement following back-to-back defeats to the Ukrainian southpaw.
It was Fury’s fifth retirement in a profession marked by dramatic comebacks. But Usyk, chatting with The Stomping Floor, was unimpressed: “I feel he is not retired. I feel Tyson continues coaching, proceed boxing, as a result of he is an important man,” he stated.
That assertion carries additional weight given Fury‘s historical past of walk-outs. His exits in 2013, 2017, and 2022 had been all adopted by eventual returns – making his newest retirement announcement sound extra like a pause. Usyk referenced this legacy of comebacks to bolster his prediction that Fury might reemerge but once more.
A transparent path to Joshua looms
Usyk’s dismissal of Fury‘s retirement is not simply lip service – it is strategic. With Fury allegedly set to sit down it out, Usyk hinted at a good larger showdown: a long-awaited conflict with Anthony Joshua. He’s brazenly rooting for that battle to cap off his profession.
Usyk at present heads right into a July rematch towards Daniel Dubois, however has already earmarked Joshua – and even Fury – as most popular opponents for a possible swan-song.
This showdown with Joshua can be a blockbuster – Usyk has twice defeated “AJ” (in 2021 and August 2022), each instances defending or reclaiming his undisputed standing
A trilogy rematch with Fury additionally stays on the desk, ought to Fury re-enter the ring.
Behind the scenes, Saudi promoters like Turki Alalshikh are already plotting grand finales for the heavyweight division – together with Fury vs. Joshua or Joshua vs. Usyk.
However Usyk‘s blunt assertion that Fury’s retirement will not stand suggests he desires each large-scale possibility open – particularly one which sees Joshua pressured to rise or retire.
For now, Fury stays formally retired, and Joshua is rehabbing an elbow harm whereas negotiations proceed. Usyk, nevertheless, is already considering forward.
Whether or not Fury stays away or returns as soon as extra, one factor is evident – the heavyweight panorama is shifting, and Usyk is keen to e book his remaining act towards the fighters who outline his period.
