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Mike CoppingerESPN
Tyson Fury announced his retirement in April, but it looks like the heavyweight champion’s hiatus won’t last long.
Since Fury’s sixth round TKO win over Dillian Whyte in April in London, “The Gypsy King” has repeatedly flipped between expressing his desire to rematch and continuing to retire.
Earlier this summer, Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) claimed the only way for him to retire was with $500 million. Now, in a dramatic twist, Fury announced on Wednesday that he will step inside the ropes again just in a showdown with rival Anthony Joshua in the United Kingdom – for free.
“That’s how the fight goes, I’m signing today,” Fury, 33, said on his Instagram. “The fight must be free. The TV is free and all tickets are free. There is no money from this historic British war if it happens. There are terms, I’m in the driver’s seat, Take it or throw it away. The ball is in your court, guys. … Either way, I don’t care.”
This is, of course, in stark contrast to Fury’s controversial negotiations with Joshua last year for a bout that were eventually dropped when a referee ruled Fury owed Deontay Wilder in the third fight. Saudi officials were prepared to spend more than $150 million on the right to participate in that undisputed heavyweight championship fight.
Instead, Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) went on to lose three heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk in September, and Fury went on to take down Wilder in a three-part fight a month later.
Now, Usyk and Joshua, 32, will rematch on August 20 in Saudi Arabia, while Fury will certainly have access to big bucks to meet the winner.
