Tyson Fury proclaims he’s RETIRING from boxing – and delivers a cryptic five-word message after Eddie Hearn hinted at Wembley showdown with Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury has dramatically announced his retirement from boxing with immediate effect.

The Gypsy King, 36, revealed the shock news in a video to his fans on Monday afternoon.

‘Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,’ he said in a clip he shared to social media. ‘I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it. 

‘I’m going to end with this… Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. GET UP!’

Fury’s announcement comes after he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk via unanimous decision in their rematch in December, a defeat that saw the Ukrainian retain his unified heavyweight world titles. 

Speaking in the aftermath of that bout, the 36-year-old had suggested he had no intention of retiring. 

Fury’s announcement has shocked boxing fans across the world, but some are questioning whether it is genuine, given the Gypsy King has previously retired from the sport.

Back in 2022, Fury revealed he was ‘done’ with boxing after beating Dillian Whyte, only to return at the end of the year after six months to fight Derek Chisora.

After beating Whyte, Fury had said: ‘I am done. Every good dog has its day. Like the great Roman leader said, there will always be someone else to fight. When is enough, enough?

‘I am happy, I am healthy. I still have my brains, I can talk, I have a beautiful wife, I have six kids, umpteen belts.

‘I have plenty of money, success, fame, glory, what more am I doing it for? This is definitely the end of the Gypsy King and I went out with a bang.’

Fury defeated Chisora by TKO before he then beat former MMA star Francis Ngannou via a controversial split decision. 

This set up a showdown with Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia, but Fury was forced to pull out of the original date in December 2023 due to his bout with Ngannou.

It was then delayed further due after the Gypsy King suffered a nasty cut above his eye, before the rivals finally took to the ring in May 2024. 

Fury lost the first bout via split decision, which was the first defeat of his professional career, before a rematch was arranged.

However, despite an impressive display, Fury lost again, with this defeat coming via unanimous decision.

The 36-year-old, who is a larger-than-life character, had been expected to return to the ring this year in a blockbuster showdown against long-time rival Anthony Joshua. 

The two British heavyweights have shared a long-running and bitter rivalry over the years, with constant speculation at times that a highly-anticipated fight between them will finally take place.

Yet, despite strong public support for a bout and significant conjecture and negotiations, a showdown has never materialised.

Earlier this month, rumours circulated on social media that a fight had finally been agreed between Joshua and Fury in what would be dubbed as ‘The Battle of Britain’ and arguably the biggest fight in British boxing history.

Joshua had declared a fight with Fury ‘had to happen’ this year, while Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh similarly outlined his support for the showdown. 

Joshua had given further credence to the fight a few weeks ago when he said: ‘2025, I am targeting Tyson Fury.’

Earlier on Monday, Eddie Hearn revealed he had booked out Wembley Stadium for the fight to potentially take place in ‘May or June’, but admitted it all comes down to whether Fury wanted it after the defeat by Usyk.

‘Yes. We’re looking to get back in the ring in May or June. If it ended up being July, it doesn’t really matter,’ Hearn said at the Ring Awards when asked if he has booked in a Wembley date.

‘I still think it rests on Tyson Fury. Until the water settles on the defeat and where he’s at mentally and what he wants to do, that’s where we’re really going to find out.

‘Because when he looks at the options, what else is he going to do and who else is he going to fight?’

Some fans have questioned whether Fury’s cryptic message at the end of his video which said ‘Dick Turpin wore a mask’ was a potential dig at Joshua’s camp in terms of the fight negotiations. 

Many have suggested Fury is implying that he is not happy with AJ’s camp, while he could be attempting to get a bigger share of any potential purse. 

In fact, soon after the news broke, Hearn joined those calls and insisted he wasn’t sure whether he believed Fury.

‘I think if you haven’t got the heart for it anymore and if you don’t want to compete anymore, I think retirement is the best option,’ he said. 

‘It’s disappointing obviously for British fight fans because I think we’ve got a chance to make the biggest fight in boxing but if that is the last we see of him, he’s had a great career. 

‘I doubt it, but you know it’s always best to come into retirement to make sure someone pays you to come out of retirement. 

‘But if that’s his lot, then much respect to him and I wish him all the best.’

When pressed further on his ‘doubts’, Hearn added: ‘I just think if I was looking for the right deal, I’d go into retirement too.

‘But I can’t speak on his behalf, that’s just what I would do. it’s a natural play, but maybe that is his lot but I don’t know, I don’t know him well enough to comment really. 

‘He’s the man to make his own decisions and like I said it’s not the kind of sport you want to play in if his heart is not in it anymore. 

‘And if his heart is not in it anymore, it’s the right decision for him. Hopefully it’s not the case and we get to see the AJ fight and if not, I wish him all the best.’

However, if this is to be the end, Fury – who has seven children with wife Paris – will finish his career with 34 wins, one draw and two losses, leaving Usyk as the only fighter to get the better of him.

Alongside the Ukrainian, he enjoyed memorable rivalries with Deontay Wilder, who he fought three times and beat twice, while he also defeated Chisora on three separate occasions. 

After his first professional fight in 2008, the Briton climbed to the summit of the sport in 2015 with a famous world-title victory over Wladimir Klitschko before he underwent a turbulent time in his life.

During a period of three years outside the ring, Fury battled mental health and drug issues, with the Gypsy King accepting a backdated two-year ban from UK Anti-Doping after testing positive for a ‘prohibited substance’ that he claimed was due to eating wild boar.

Fury, who hails from Wythenshawe and lives in Morecambe, is estimated to have a net worth of around £130million.