Tyson Fury vowed to retire from professional boxing after producing a masterclass to beat Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium Saturday.
The 33-year-old knocked out his opponent in the sixth round with a devastating uppercut before reiterating a promise he made to his wife, Paris, to step away from the sport.
“I have to be a man of my word, and I think this might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King, and what a way to go out,” he said during his post-fight interview in the ring.
Fury said he promised his wife he would retire after winning his trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder last year but the WBC heavyweight champion opted to defend his title against Whyte in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley.
However, Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said he would back his fighter’s decision if he does decide to step away this time.
“If it was going to be the last fight, it’ll be the last fight. That’s his decision, he’s the guy getting in the ring. And if it is his last fight he has gone out on such a high,” Warren said in the ring Saturday.
Fury celebrates victory with his team after beating Dillian Whyte.
If it was to be Fury’s last fight, then what a way to bow out.
The champion, who stretched his unbeaten record to 32 wins and a draw, dominated from the opening bell and reveled in the incredible atmosphere produced by the crowd in Wembley.
The final right-handed uppercut on Saturday was a thing of devastating beauty, underlining that Fury is still a boxer at the very top of his game.
Many fans would love to see Fury continue in order to unify the heavyweight division but that would involve fighting the winner of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch against Anthony Joshua.
Usky currently owns the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts after beating Joshua last year and Fury’s wife hinted that that could be the only fight to tease her husband back into the ring.
“I would like him to come out now. He has nothing more to prove,” Paris told BT Sport on Saturday.
“If he had anything left to do, I would say ‘Yeah Tyson, you do it’. But he has nothing to prove.
“So unless he really wants to box on, and if he’s just doing it for whatever money, fame, he doesn’t need that. He’s the most famous man on the planet tonight.
“For Tyson to keep boxing, it just seems for one reason and I know in my heart, I think the only reason that Tyson will come back is for the unification fight.”
Fury reacts to knocking out Whyte on Saturday.
Fury’s career has been one of extremes. He’s won some of the biggest fights in the last decade but has suffered badly with his mental health and said he was suicidal before making an epic comeback to the sport in 2018.
In his mind, however, there is no doubt that he’s the greatest heavyweight to ever fight and he’s certainly got a body of work to back up such a bold claim.
“I’m a legend in this game, you can’t deny it. I’m the best heavyweight there’s ever been. There ain’t never been anyone that could beat me,” he told reporters in his post-fight press conference.
While this could be the last time we see Fury compete professionally, he hasn’t ruled out future exhibition fights and has flirted with the possibility of wrestling.
After all, Fury is an entertainer and there will always be an appetite to see him perform.
