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Tyson Fury’s hit list contradicts retirement speculation

Fighters Network
04
Feb
Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury following a press conference at the Midland Hotel in Morecambe, where he was presented with his Ring Magazine belt, Wednesday February 3rd, 2016. Picture by Dave Thompson/Route One Photography - 07711 459404 dave@routeonephotography.co.uk

THE RING heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ponders future business. Photo: Dave Thompson

“Being the heavyweight champion of the world and a gypsy makes me harder than a coffin nail.”

– Tyson Fury

Despite reports to the contrary that Tyson Fury may retire from boxing, the 27-year-old heavyweight champion spoke candidly about his future plans with a select group of media members at a hotel in Morecambe, England, on Wednesday.

Fury, who had just received THE RING heavyweight championship belt at a televised press event, was visibly in good shape and estimated that he was only 14 pounds heavier than on Nov. 28, 2015, the night he sensationally outpointed Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany.



A rematch, which is contractual, will be the unbeaten Fury’s first port of call although he was eager to point out that nothing had been agreed with Team Klitschko.

“We’ve been speaking to a few different places that are interested in hosting the rematch,” said Fury. “Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dublin, London and Germany are the five locations and one of them will get the fight. It won’t happen anywhere else but I’m not really bothered one way or the other.

“I’d like it to be at Wembley Stadium (London) but if that’s not an option, what can I do? I’m not too keen to go back to Germany because I’m champion and (Klitschko) should return the favor. It’s whatever makes financial sense though and if that’s Germany, then that’s where we go.”

With Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan being announced for May 7, a potential date of June 4 at Wembley Stadium has opened up. That date had been reserved for a potential welterweight clash between Khan and countryman Kell Brook which, for the moment, will have to wait.

Fury insisted that Wembley on June 4 would be “perfect” before injecting some hilarity into proceedings.

“There were actually negotiations for this rematch to take place on a cruise ship,” revealed Fury, who was drowned out by laughter. “Seriously, a sheik in Dubai has a yacht that holds 120 people and he was going to sell tickets for one million dollars each. There would be no television coverage and he actually wanted an exclusive heavyweight championship fight.

“Klitschko and I were up for it and, being champion, I would have been on the bigger slice of the 120 million dollars. It would have been an epic story but that option is gone now.”

The mood turned serious again when this reporter asked for Fury’s thoughts on WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder, whom he theatrically confronted in a New York ring following the American’s savage ninth-round knockout of Artur Szpilka last month.

“I want Wilder as soon as possible,” said Fury in earnest. “I’m not the type of fighter who wants to beat on 25 bums to break someone’s record. I want to fight the best out there. Wilder didn’t look great in his last fight but Szpilka was southpaw, awkward and he still got planted to the canvas.

“Deontay is a dangerous puncher, who’s still learning because he didn’t have a very long amateur career. I think he’s getting better all the time and you can’t do more than plant a man to the canvas in the heavyweight division. It doesn’t matter if he’s good, bad or whatever; the crowd wants to see knockouts.”

Fury’s win over Klitschko also brought him the IBF heavyweight strap. At least it did for a time. The New Jersey-based organization elected to strip Fury for agreeing terms to a Klitschko rematch and American Charles Martin picked up the vacant title with an uninspiring third-round knee-injury stoppage of Vyacheslav Glazkov.

“I would like the IBF title back,” Fury said, ignoring the political decision which cost him a championship earned in the ring. “It’s not the fact that I want the belt but there’s room for Charles Martin to say he’s a champion and I won’t feel undisputed unless I take him out. That will be relatively easy because he’s only a novice.

“There’s also some other up-and-comers like Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua. You have the little fat kid from Mexico, Andy Ruiz, and Luis Ortiz, although he’s getting old now.”

The enigmatic Fury was taking swipes at almost every man north of 200 pounds but, as evidenced in Dusseldorf, he’s more than willing to back up his mouth. Can he produce a repeat performance against Klitschko? Only time will tell but the Englishman is convinced the judges will not be required.

He said, “I think Klitschko will come to knock me out because he can’t outbox me. In order for him to do that, he has to plant his feet and, when he does, he’ll be wide open to the counter and wide open to being knocked out himself. The rematch won’t go the distance. Either he knocks me out or I’ll knock him out.

“Before the first fight, Klitschko was saying his former trainer Emanuel Steward predicted that Tyson Fury would beat him but that’s just a myth. Now he knows it’s a fact and that’ll be at the back of his mind. Mentally he’s a weak character and I think he’s 80 percent beaten already.”

Tom Gray is a member of the British Boxing Writers’ Association and has contributed to various publications. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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