Tyson Fury announces retirement from boxing following Oleksandr Usyk losses

Less than 48 hours after Anthony Joshua expressed his desire to face Tyson Fury in 2025, it looks like we may never see Fury vs. Joshua.

Fury, 36, announced his retirement from boxing in a social media post Monday morning.

"Hi, everybody. I'm gonna make this short and sweet: I'd like to announce my retirement from boxing," Fury said. "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."

Fury (34-2-1) was a two-time world heavyweight champion, winning the title both times as an underdog. In 2015, he upset Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles in Germany, ending the Ukrainian legend's nine-year heavyweight reign, which included 18 successful title defenses.

The Brit became a two-time champion when he stopped Deontay Wilder in seven rounds in their 2020 rematch in Las Vegas to win the WBC heavyweight crown.

Fury and Wilder fought to a controversial draw when they met in 2018, which saw "The Gypsy King" recover from a ferocious 12th-round knockdown to make it to the judges. Fury dominated Wilder in the 2020 rematch, but the most memorable clash of all was their 2021 trilogy contest.

After the one-sided nature of the rematch, fans went into the third fight expecting a similarly comfortable victory for Fury. What they got was the best heavyweight fight of the last decade. Fury dropped Wilder in Round 3 but found himself having to get off the canvas twice just one round later in the fourth. Fury eventually recovered to score two late knockdowns and produce a highlight-reel finish of Wilder in the 11th round.

Fury lost a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk in May 2024 for the undisputed heavyweight crown in Riyadh. It was boxing's most anticipated heavyweight fight in recent years, and it lived up to the billing, capturing multiple nominations for Fight of the Year. Usyk scored a second win over Fury by unanimous decision in December in what now turns out to be Fury's final fight — if Fury has indeed retired.

Fury was adamant post-fight that he defeated Usyk by "at least 3 rounds" and lambasted the judges for giving Usyk an "early Christmas present" with the decision.

Fury previously announced his retirement after beating Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April 2022. It was short-lived, though, and the "Gypsy King" called out Joshua on social media just a few months later. British sports fans hope to see something similar here.

Fury vs. Joshua, even with both coming off losses, could be the biggest matchup in boxing. The public interest for it, especially in the U.K., is still very strong, and it would be a shame if we never saw the fight.