Three months after posting an Instagram retirement speech, Tyson Fury has reversed course. The former WBC heavyweight king appeared in a video with trainer SugarHill Steward on Monday, grinning in a Manchester gym and teasing: “You know what’s coming.” Within hours he replied to Oleksandr Usyk’s wish-list interview by writing: “Beat the f***er twice already. Anytime, any place. UK next time, 100k people.”
Fury announced his latest retirement on 13 January after a unanimous-decision loss to Usyk in Riyadh seven weeks earlier, a sequel to their razor-thin split decision the previous May. Social posts from the day - “Thanks, it’s been a blast” - seemed definitive, but insiders predicted a U-turn once Wembley booked Usyk-Dubois II for 19 July. London’s national stadium can expand to 100,000 with floor seating, precisely the crowd Fury is now demanding.
Watch Usyk vs. Fury 2 highlights: Watch
Promoter Frank Warren welcomed the talk, telling Sky Sports a “generational” all-British trilogy could eclipse Joshua-Klitschko’s 90,000 attendance record. Usyk’s camp responded that the Ukrainian “isn’t retired” and would entertain Fury for his final bout - if he first defends the undisputed crown against Dubois.
Fury’s return speculation comes as he faces no regulatory obstacles: the BBBofC never removed his licence, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán has said a top-five ranking would be restored upon medical clearance. For now the Gypsy King is back in full training, leaving us, fans, to decide whether this is another social-media feint or the first step toward Wembley’s next 100-thousand-strong night. Either way, the heavyweight soap opera rolls on - “anytime, any place” - just the way Fury likes it.
Image Credit: AFP