Tyson Fury retires: ‘The Gypsy King’ says he’s done with boxing after second loss to Oleksandr Usyk

Two-time former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from boxing. Fury posted a short message on social media making the announcement on Monday, just weeks after losing his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight championship.

“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury said. “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless, everybody, see you on the other side. Get up.”

“At least Dick Turpin wore a mask” is a British idiom referencing an English highwayman from the 1700s, with the implication being that at least he had the sense to hide his identity while taking people’s money.

Fury won the IBF, WBA and WBO titles with a win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, becoming world champion for the first time. His time as champion did not last between being stripped by the IBF for planning to go ahead with a contracted rematch with Klitschko rather than face IBF mandatory Vyacheslav Glazkov. After that, the rematch was postponed after Fury gained weight and sprained an ankle, followed by a failed drug test.

After dealing with the subsequent suspension and mental health struggles, Fury returned to the ring in 2018. He would fight three times that year, with the third fight a tremendous performance against WBC champion Deontay Wilder that saw Fury rise from a brutal knockdown and seemingly earn a victory, though the scorecards resulted in a split draw.

Fury would defeat Wilder in their 2020 rematch to become WBC champion and also won their 2021 rematch.

The long-awaited fight with Usyk happened in 2024, with Usyk winning a split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. The loss was Fury’s first as a professional. After losing the rematch this past December, Fury claims to have reached the end of the road.

Of course, this is far from the first time Fury has announced a retirement, having previously claimed to have retired in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

With a potential fight with fellow British superstar Anthony Joshua still massively lucrative, it remains to be seen if this retirement will stick for Fury.