Tyson Fury is currently retired, but could come back for the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch; "He has to want it for his legacy and for his peace of mind," says Top Rank president Todd duBoef; an exhibition with UFC star Francis Ngannou is still a plausible option
Thursday 21 July 2022 17:24, UK
Tyson Fury could be tempted out of retirement to fight the winner of Anthony Joshua's August 20 clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
But his US promoter Top Rank will leave that decision entirely with Fury himself.
"People have asked me that a lot. We've been told to stay down, Fury's retired. He hasn't said he's coming out of retirement," Top Rank president Todd duBoef told Sky Sports.
"He hasn't said anything, so what do you do? I think it kind of plays its way through. I think the result of the [Usyk-Joshua] fight is going to be a very significant piece of the whole heavyweight division. Public opinion is this is AJ's last hurrah. He can't afford to lose this one again. He can't afford to. People are not going to be as forgiving, he may not be as forgiving on himself. Change of trainer, change of a lot of stuff. The style obviously bothered him in the last fight. This is going to answer a lot of questions.
"With Usyk we know he's a terrific fighter, terrific, terrific story, obviously left Ukraine during these God awful times to get prepared for the fight. A world-class boxer, the question is can he really manage the heavyweight division or did he just get the right guy? So I think a lot of things have to be answered in the coming weeks."
No matter who wins out of Joshua and Usyk, the clamour for the victor to fight Fury will only grow after their August 20 rematch. The decision ultimately will rest with Tyson Fury alone.
"One of the things I've kind of released myself as to the outcome is what the mindset of a boxer is. I can't tell you what they're thinking. It's really hard for us. Tyson's made a tremendous amount of money. He's made a tremendous impact on the sport globally," DuBoef said. "He did exactly what he said he was going to do and what he wanted to do.
"How much more is there for him and how much more does he need? That's in his brain and in his family and his decision-making. We can all sit around and speculate at what he's going to do. But I think it's really in his court.
"There is an unpredictability that he has and a stubbornness, a way to be like this is what I'm doing and I'm doing it. I think you've just got to let that car ride its course and let it go and let him decide what he wants to do."
Top Rank work with Fury but they won't pressure him.
"In what I've seen in my 30 years the sport, the last thing I want is to want to fight more than he does. Like I might think this is the right fight, it's going to be great, it's going to be big, it's going to grab headlines, it's going to do great business, at the end of the day, he's got to want it and I think he has to want it for his legacy and for his peace of mind," DuBoef said.
Fury has been linked with an exhibition with UFC heavyweight star Francis Ngannou. It's an event that could still happen.
"I think it's commercially plausible," DuBoef said. "In today's day and age what we're seeing is there's no barrier of entry. So anything is possible.
"As it relates to the Ngannou fight, I think it's a little bit of sizzle, I would say a lot of sizzle, I'm not sure how much substance there is. I think they play off each other really wel andl I think Ngannou's got a relationship with UFC. I know he's wanted to box for many, many years. For many, many years he's talked about it.
"I obviously love Tyson in any type of match like that because obviously he's one of the most brilliant boxing heavyweights that I've seen in my generation. He is just fantastic as a fighter for somebody of that size. So I'm not sure [it will happen] but it would be very sellable. You would get everybody's attention."
Even in retirement Fury is a master of capturing public attention.
"You just give him the mic," DuBoef said. "That's the playbook. Can I have more guys like this? He just takes over. He's got such swagger and confidence and he has a way about himself. It's brilliant and he comes across terrific to the fans and to people that aren't fans. People gravitate to every word he says. His walkouts, his outfits, his suits, his no shirts. You just bottle that thing up and keep it going the sport would be so, so vibrant for decades."
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