Tyson Fury has refused to exercise his rematch clause in his fight against Oleksandr Usyk later in 2024.
The 35-year-old sacrificed his WBC heavyweight title and undefeated status after losing a split decision at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, where he was nearly stopped in the ninth round. Instead, the fight went on the scorecards and the 37-year-old Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Fury and Usyk agreed to a double fight in 2024, but after asserting – before he left the ring – that he had won and that he wanted a rematch in the fall, Fury insisted at a post-fight press conference that he would consider his options instead.
“I just had a fight; I just left,” he said. “I don’t want to think about a boxing fight. Don’t forget that I was in the camp for seven months. Cutting; back at camp; back at camp. It was what it was. I’m here to earn money, sleep and go home.
“I’ll do exactly that and then we’ll regroup and talk about it. If there’s another fight soon – in October or whenever – we will destroy Sally.
“I will have a vacation, regroup, talk to my wife [Paris] AND [seven] children and see what I want to do. I don’t box because I don’t have money. I box because I love it. I’ll be 36 in a few months and I’ve been boxing since I was a child.
“Where does it all end? Do you have 100 fights, brain damage and a wheelchair? I’m not sure. But one thing is that I still love this game – I had fun playing it; I really had fun – so I’ll keep doing it. When I can’t do this anymore, I’ll pack up.
“We just had an argument. If you can see my face, I’m pretty pissed, he’s pissed too, so we’ll go home, eat something, drink a few beers, spend some time with the family, take the dog for a walk, go on a tip-off, and me and Frank [Warren, his co-promoter] We will talk about what will happen in the future.”
Before he left the ring and shortly after the final bell, Fury suggested that Usyk was perhaps the beneficiary of a sympathetic decision by referees who sympathized with the fact that Russia had invaded Usyk’s country, Ukraine.
“It’s not up to the players,” Fury replied when asked if he still felt that way. “One of the judges made me win; two no. It was what it was. I can’t say much about it.
“We fought a good fight for the fans.
“I always say it’s about making money and having sex. We did it. Thank you Oleksandr for a good fight. It was a fierce fight. I think – I thought – that I had done enough, but I am not the judge. I can’t judge a fight when I’m boxing it.
“If they had told me in the last round, ‘You’re losing – go out and try to finish him,’ I would have done it, but everyone in the corner believed we were on top. All I had to do was keep boxing and doing what I had to do.
“It was what it was. I won’t cry over spilled milk. I won many victories and gave glory to God – I had one defeat, a close fight against a good man like Usyk and that was it. There I tried my best.
“Actually, I had a great time. I don’t know if it looked like that, but I had fun; hands behind me. I enjoyed it. He’s a good fighter, Oleksandr, I caught him and he caught me, and it was a good fight. I hope you enjoyed getting punched in the face as much as I did.
“In the first six rounds, maybe he broke one of the rounds, and then looking back, I think I won the last few as well. Let’s say I won five of the first six – I won a few in the next six as well. It was close – I don’t know. I tried my best and that’s what happened. I’m in a hurry. One of the judges gave me the win and the other two didn’t, so I can’t complain about that.
“Let me tell you – I am very ecstatic. In my head I did everything I could and I thought I won the fight, but I did. I’m satisfied with the performance. Both men got paid and they both go home to their lovely wives and children, and that’s what it’s all about. We organized a show for the fans. Usyka 37; I am [almost] 36 years ancient. We are no longer little children. We are at the end of our careers and we will have great fights, so I am proud of myself. I got injured in the ninth round and got back into shape. This is GK [Gypsy King, Fury’s nickname] does. I’m just grateful that we both got out of the ring in one piece and are moving on to the next one.
“I knew going into it that he was a good boxer. It didn’t surprise me. We were prepared. We were fully prepared. We had a long training camp. I believe I was the best I could be. I don’t think I could have done better. Maybe if they told me, “You’re losing,” in the last two rounds I could have gone out and tried to attack him and gotten him out myself. Other than that, I did everything I could.
“I don’t know what will happen. [In a potential rematch] I think I would have done a little more of the same, tightened up the defense – a little more focused – and not had too much fun because I was having fun there. I was playing; I beat him on the body; I was hitting uppercuts to the head. I thought I was in charge of the fight. I hit him on both sides of his body. “Break, break.”
Fury’s trainer Sugarhill Steward, who was recruited by Fury ahead of his 2020 rematch with Deontay Wilder, was then asked about the devastating ninth round in which his fighter was almost stopped.
“When it happened in the ninth round – obviously Tyson had been through a lot; he’s an clever player – he should do what he should do,” said the American coach. “Protect; glide; submerge; hold on. Whatever you need to do.
“It’s part of boxing. This always needs to be factored into your game plan when you find yourself in this situation.
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