Tyson Fury announced his retirement from boxing (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh plans to speak to about his decision to retire with the hope of persuading him to return to boxing.
The two-time heavyweight champion recently announced on social media that he is stepping away from the ring, stating: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” he said. “I would 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!”
His announcement follows a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, dashing hopes for a much-anticipated all-British clash with . Speaking on talkSPORT with Jim White and Simon Jordan, Alalshikh conveyed his disappointment but showed understanding towards Fury’s choice: “First of all, this kind of decision has to be from the fighters,” he said. “It must be whatever they are thinking if they have something to give or not. As a fan of boxing, I don’t like it. We want to see Tyson in more big fights, but I can understand his decision. But over time this decision can change.”
The head of Saudi boxing opened up about the potential discussions with Fury over his retirement decision, expressing his readiness to engage but cautioning against believing exaggerated figures: “Yes, of course. But a lot of rumours don’t help us. No-one will propose £500 million for a fight, these numbers are incorrect.”
Meanwhile, just 48 hours after announcing his exit from the sport, the ‘Gypsy King’ was seen in good form at a Lancashire petrol station, grabbing a can of Monster and heading to his vehicle. Frank Warren, Fury’s longtime promoter, responded to the news by encouraging the heavyweight champion to relish his respite from boxing, telling the : “God bless him, that’s what he wants to do. That’s great. I mean he’s done everything he can do. He’s probably been the best British heavyweight of his generation by far. Two-time world champion, and two closely fought fights against Usyk. He’s got plenty of money, he’s got his wits about him, he’s got a lovely family. So God bless him, let him enjoy it.”
But Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has cast doubt on Fury’s retirement announcement, speculating that it could be a ploy to strike a better deal for the much-anticipated bout with ‘AJ’. “I’m not going to accuse him of not being genuine but I think you get a better deal coming out of retirement or maybe he just hasn’t got the stomach for it anymore,” Hearn commented.
“He got beat twice and has had enough. I doubt it but who knows. I don’t know him well enough to know but maybe he’s done.” He went on to say: “My gut feeling is we see AJ against Fury this summer. But, maybe he’s for real. I cannot believe that he would check out without doing that fight. But if he genuinely isn’t enjoying it anymore, he should retire.”