As fight fans everywhere know, former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has it all to do; he has it all to prove (in the opinion of some) in his fast-approaching December 21st rematch with Oleksandr Usyk; Usyk absolutely the toughest test/bag of tricks Fury has encountered during his superb career. And as he approaches what could prove to be his career-defining fight, the recently turned 36-year-old Fury is talking quite a bit about retirement. Fury has been talking about how he is “probably at the end of my career in the next few years.”
But fellow British great Carl Froch, speaking on his YouTube channel, says we will see Fury walk away from the sport at the end of the year…….if Usyk repeats the job he did on Fury back in May. Froch says Fury will retire from the sport if he is bested by Usyk a second time.
“If he loses to Usyk, I think that is the last we will see of Tyson Fury,” Froch said. “He has had a bit of time to get over the defeat, and go for it and have a good training camp. At 36 years old, he struggles to do the weight, he is slowing down, and the stats are suggesting he is way past his best. If he goes out and earns another £50 million and then gets beat again, he isn’t going to fight again. He’s been great for the sport, but if Usyk does the job, which I think he does, [then I think he will] turn it in. You don’t need any more money; you don’t need to get punched in the head anymore. Go and spend time with your family. He has had a fantastic career but has been beaten twice by the main man. But he is in good company; you can’t complain.”
Though it may seem to some as though Froch is jumping the gun in all but filing away a second win over Fury by Usyk (this is heavyweight boxing, and as we know, anything can happen), it is tough to find fault with what “The Cobra” says. Fury HAS earned a whole lot of money, he HAS said himself that he has no desire to get punched in the head any more (his wife sharing the sentiment), and at age 36, Fury’s best days may well have gone. Also, Usyk just seems to be a level ahead of Fury, mostly in terms of ring IQ and ability to make mid-fight adjustments.
But who knows, maybe Fury is about to give us his greatest ring performance, this when it counts the most. Is Fury an all-time great if he manages to get his revenge over Usyk? Maybe. Some will for sure make the argument (heck, some folks, plenty of them who should know better, already have).
But the thing with Fury is his ego; if he is bested again by the same man, it could prove devastating for him. With no excuses to make, a Fury who exits the ring 0-2 against Usyk will indeed head for the exit door, as Froch says. Fury will not stick around for a lucrative all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Agree or disagree?
