Tyson Fury says he’d be ‘stupid’ to walk away from boxing while revealing plans for future fights
Tyson Fury seemed to be set to continue boxing for years yet, claiming he’d be ‘stupid’ to pack in the sport just now.
This might seem like a fairly strange thing for ‘The Gypsy King’ to be saying, given that he’s retired from boxing publicly a couple of times, but anyone who keeps track of what he does will know that this time he’s probably telling the truth.
His previous retirements always seemed to sound a little false, and most fight fans assumed that Fury would get back into the game before long.
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Well, now he’s saying the exact opposite.
Wait – does that mean he’s actually going to retire after his fight against Francis Ngannou, then?
The 35-year-old faces off against former UFC champ Ngannou next Saturday in Saudi Arabia – a fight which won’t have any belts on the line – before a reported undisputed heavyweight champion bout against Oleksandr Usyk.
But, in classic Fury fashion, he’s already staring straight past those fights and looking to the rest of his career.
Speaking to ESPN, Fury said: "I'm looking to sign another ten-fight deal after this, so I don't know, I'm going to put my feelers out there and see who I can get the best deal off for another ten fights.
"What else is there?
“I retire, plenty of money, plenty of achievement, whatever - 35.
“What am I going to do?
"This makes me f***ing happy, fighting.
“This is all I've ever done and all that's ever made me happy.
"So it'd be stupid now to walk away from it when I'm making millions of dollars and getting loads of joy from it as well."
Well, as long as he’s happy.
You can bet his wife Paris isn’t happy hearing that, though.
Both Paris and Tyson Fury have spoken in the past about how they understand the risks he takes when he gets into the ring, and even Fury admits it must weigh heavy on his wife.
In an interview with MailOnline, Tyson said: “It must be horrible knowing your husband can be killed in a fight and you've got six kids, seven in a minute, to look after on your own.
“That's got to be nerve wracking. If Paris was going into something and I knew she could die at any moment in time, I would be nervous too."
“So, pretty daunting task looking death right between the two eyes every time you climb into a boxing ring.
“But it's something we get on with. I earn a lot of money.
“I get danger money and I am well paid for it.
“We know the risk going in and it is what it is.
“Nobody wants me to box anymore in my family. I've got too much to lose.
“But, it's something I like to do so the ball keeps rolling.”
That ball will keep rolling on into Saudi Arabia next weekend, where one of the UFC’s biggest ever hitters – 37-year-old Ngannou – waits for him.
Topics: Celebrity, Boxing, Sport, Tyson Fury
Tom Wood