Tyson Fury is set to return to the ring despite his tough loss to Oleksandr Usyk. The
“Gypsy King” faced Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night in a rematch of the fight he lost in May. But once again, Fury endured a tough night, losing by unanimous decision.
The English boxer was furious with the judges after his loss, claiming that Usyk had received a “Christmas present”. It was only the second defeat of his professional career, with 34 wins and one draw in his other fights.
Despite being 36 years old, there have been reports that he might retire from boxing. But it seems that the former world heavyweight champion is preparing for another fight soon.
According to The Sun, Fury flew back to Manchester on a private jet on Sunday. He is planning to spend a traditional Christmas at his home in Lancashire before commenting publicly on his future. But he has told friends: “It’s not over yet,” suggesting he is looking forward to getting back into the ring.
A £250m ‘Battle of Britain’ fight against Anthony Joshua is already being discussed by promoters.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted Fury’s only option after his loss to Usyk is to fight Joshua. Hearn said: “There’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that’s against Anthony Joshua. It’s probably the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“Everyone will always want to watch it. For me, Joshua vs Fury is the most important. It will be a huge global event.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren is also interested in organising a fight against Joshua. He told The Sun: “This is what people want to see. If it happens, it will be a huge, fantastic fight. But it will only happen if Tyson wants it, and that depends on him.”
Fury’s immediate focus was on his defeat to Ukrainian star Usyk. He criticised the judges for the way they scored points, but did not rule out the possibility of retiring.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that I won the fight, that’s what it is, we can’t cry about it,” Fury said. “There was a bit of a party atmosphere in the ring and I think he got a Christmas present from the judges.
“But when you don’t get a knockout, that’s what happens, you can’t guarantee victory. In this fight, Usyk didn’t hurt me at all, I just have some superficial cuts, they will go away in two or three days.”
“What’s next for me? I’m going to go home and rest. You might see me fight again, you might not. Who knows? We’ll talk about it next year.”
