Tyson Fury ‘will retire’ after Oleksandr Usyk insults left him wanting silly
Tyson Fury will waive his right to a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk and consider retirement, according to former British boxing champion Johnny Nelson.
Fury’s legacy was severely shaken after he suffered a split decision loss to Usyk on Saturday, marking the first defeat of his career. Despite landing more punches in the early rounds, the Manchester-born fighter wasn’t at his best and was almost knocked out in the ninth round before being saved by the bell, reports the Mirror.
The result saw Usyk, 37, crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, stirring supporters for a rematch. But Nelson suspects they won’t get one, having predicted that Fury, 35, will find it challenging handling the defeat.
READ MORE: Tyson Fury told ‘you can’t play Gypsy games’ against someone like Oleksandr Usyk after loss
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“I know there’s a rematch clause. I don’t really think that will happen,” the 57-year-old shared with Seconds Out. “I know a fighter’s psyche, and the things Fury said before and after [about Usyk], no matter if he said it just for headlines or whatever, it’s hard to swallow.
“Remember, [Usyk] is ‘a gap-toothed, jumped up middleweight’. All the insults, everything he threw at this man, he’s a walking contradiction. So how will Tyson get his head round it? Especially when he looks at his performance. Will he get his head right? I don’t think he will.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
He added: “I think this will make Tyson seriously consider walking away from this game. He’s a wealthy man, and he’s a fighting man who believes hand on heart that he’s the best in the world. Now this has happened it’ll be hard for him to digest it, to accept it… I think he’ll struggle.”
Fury claimed after the fight that he thought he’d done enough to win and appeared to suggest the ongoing war in Usyk’s homeland, Ukraine, had an impact on the judges’ scorecards. But Nelson reckons the Gypsy King was just trying to save face.
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“I think Usyk was consistent, consistent in the build-up and consistent all the way through the fight,” he continued. “Tyson… he said he thought he won. I don’t really think he believes that.”
Nelson added: “I understand showboating, I get it. But you do that when you know you’ve got someone’s number. Tyson didn’t. He was showboating to the crowd and doing everything possible to get into Usyk’s head to say I’m better than you.
“I think Tyson will look back at his showboating and think, ‘Bloody hell. Do you know what, I should have just stuck to the task at hand’.”
