'Saw that coming' – Eddie Hearn reacts to Tyson Fury's retirement with wry smile as Anthony Joshua fight lies in tatters
01/13/2025 02:21 PM
EDDIE HEARN has cast doubt over Tyson Fury’s boxing retirement with a wry smile and theory about why all may not be as it seems.
Fury made the shock announcement on social media in the wake of his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
But with a mega-money fight with Anthony Joshua still on the cards – Hearn reckons this is nothing more than a negotiation tactic.
He told iFL TV: “I saw that coming. I think, if you ever want to come back and get the max you’ve gotta retire first, ain’t you?
“Someone’s gotta bring you out of retirement. So listen, if that’s the last we see of Tyson Fury, good luck to him.
“I doubt it, personally, but whatever he chooses to do much respect to him.”
Fury has a history of retiring only to return – doing so three times before.
But nevertheless, he said in a social media video: “Hey everybody, I am going to make it short and sweet.
“I would like to announce my retirement from boxing. It has been a blast and I have loved every single minute of it.
“I’m going to end with this – Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody and see you on the other side.”
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Fury, 36, lost his WBC title and unbeaten record in May to Usyk, 37, who became the first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion.
But the Ukrainian vacated the IBF strap to proceed with his rematch – winning a unanimous decision in December.
Joshua, 35, was meanwhile knocked out by Dubois, 27, in September for the IBF belt.
It left AJ and Fury primed to finally settle the score in a British grudge bout.
And Hearn believed money and boredom will ultimately convince the eccentric Gypsy King to come back again once more.
He said: “I think he’ll want to fight again.
“I think he’ll get bored, I think he’ll know that the British public want to see the AJ fight and I think, my personal belief is we’ll see him in the ring again. And if not, as I said, good luck to the man.”
View of The Sun's boxing expert: 'I think it's a ploy'
CALL ME a miserable fat little boxing cynic, but Tyson Fury’s latest retirement just doesn’t wash with me.
It wasn’t too long ago we were hearing he had a ten-fight deal with Saudi Arabia, that he was gonna fight Anthony Joshua twice, then he was going to face Joseph Parker twice.
He was planning on doing every fight in the world – there was even talk he’d rematch Francis Ngannou and do a better job.
IF he has retired, then he goes out with an incredible career having made over £300million in boxing events alone, let alone all the extra stuff.
He does so having sacrificed bundles of his own life for such success.
We know his wife Paris suffered a miscarriage going into the first Olesandr Usyk fight.
We know for Deontay Wilder III, his little girl was put in intensive care, he barely even trained for that fight, he was sleeping on the hospital floor.
IF he has retired, IF it is genuine, then it’s been an incredible career.
And for the big showman, it’s probably a nice little short sharp way to go out by just posting a video while sat inside his car.
But I can’t help but think that it’s a bit of a ploy to drive AJ a little bit crazy.
AJ was at the Ring Awards the other day and put out a social media post saying “Fury, where are you? I’m looking for you.”
It’s the only fight that AJ wants, and Fury being wise and looking at the Floyd Mayweather playbook, knows that once you retire, you have to be coaxed out of retirement.
And how do you coax someone out of retirement? Loads more readies.
The fact of the matter is, Fury has always told us: I’m a prize fighter, I do it for money, I’m gonna do it for as long as I can and make as much money as I can.
So the idea that he suddenly ducks out now doesn’t seem to ring quite true.
As Fury made the announcement, I was with Frank Warren and he said hadn’t spoken to Tyson about it today, but that he hopes that it’s true, that Fury’s done enough and made enough money.
IF it’s true, then what an incredible career.
Fury and AJ have put British boxing on the map where it’s not been for decades, not since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago.
So thank you, but rather than being at his leaving party, which I’m sure The Sun would be invited to, I suspect we’ll see him boxing AJ in Riyadh in a few months.
