Naturally, whenever a prominent boxer announces his retirement, a flurry of speculation begins about when said retirement ends, or whether the retirement is a negotiating ploy.
Of course, moments after former lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury took to social media to announce he's retiring, such speculation began. He's been linked for years to a fight with fellow British heavyweight superstar Anthony Joshua, and the fight is so big that it seemed inevitable they'd finally meet in 2025.
Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn took a playful jab Monday at Fury's announcement.
"I would retire if I had to fight Anthony Joshua," a cheeky Hearn said after learning of the news.
There are reasons both to suspect Fury will come back, and that he's done for good.
Fury lost his bid for the undisputed heavyweight title and suffered his first career loss when he dropped a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury had the fight in hand after eight, but was badly hurt in the ninth, nearly stopped, and Usyk rallied to claim the victory.
But the fight was close, and it wasn't unreasonable to believe Fury would be able to reverse the outcome in a rematch. And when they rematched on Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Fury performed ably. Usyk, though, was stellar and pulled out another close decision by controlling the distance and largely taking away Fury's jab.
There is no shame in a pair of close defeats to Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion who may well be the greatest boxer of the 21st century.
Importantly, though, while Usyk is 2-0 against Fury, it's not like he's been totally dominant and outclassed the affable 6-foot-9 boxing giant.
It's no stretch to believe if they fought a third time that he'd be able to reverse the outcome. It would be a hugely lucrative fight, as would a potential bout with Joshua. It's hard for anyone to walk away from that kind of money, which is why so many boxers have stayed past their sell-by dates.
Fury, though, already has generational wealth and is one of the highest-earning boxers in the sport's history. He's not hurting for money. On top of that, he's healthy with no signs of brain damage. Not all fighters end their careers as lucky.
He is a wise man and knows full well the toll the sport takes on one. It's why after his third fight with Deontay Wilder he spoke about potentially retiring.
He eventually opted to fight on and piled millions more into his bank account after wins over Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte and Francis Ngannou and the back-to-back losses to Usyk.
File photo
Oleksandr Usyk (L) and Tyson Fury battle in their May 18 bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
But he's 36 now and isn't going to improve as a boxer. Yes, he could wind up defeating Usyk and/or Joshua if he chooses to end this latest retirement, but he's at a point in his boxing life where the skills start going the other way.
Before the Usyk fights, it was probably fair to say he was a Top 10 heavyweight of all-time. At 6-9 and around 270 pounds, he had a pulverizing jab, surprising mobility and great boxing skills.
He never would have ranked ahead of the likes of, in no order, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, or Lennox Lewis. And while some may insist that fighters like Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey should be included in that group, Fury's immense size would have made it problematic for them to hit him.
After losing twice to Usyk, he's probably not a Top 10 all-time, but he's still not far off of that.
And when you think of those who are even considered for that kind of distinction, it's boxing royalty and no one else. He scored a dominating decision over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to win his first heavyweight title, and scored two brilliant stoppage victories over Wilder. Those wins are testament to his vast skillset.
It's hard to know how serious he is this time, given his flip-flopping and his love for jokes and pranks. He went on social media before his rubber match with Wilder to say he was going to hire his long-time friend, Isaac Lowe, a middling featherweight, as his new trainer. It was a ruse and he was just trying to see who'd fall for it.
If he is truly retired, it's a loss for the sport. Fury leaves with a 34-2-1 record and 24 knockouts. He was the unified champion after defeating Klitschko in 2015, holding the IBF-WBA-WBO belts. He surrendered the titles not long after when he was beset by mental health issues, ballooned to over 400 pounds and admitted to having contemplated suicide.
He came back and defeated Wilder via seventh-round TKO to win the WBC championship. He was in some of the biggest fights of this century.
He's unquestionably deserving of induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
He's accomplished plenty, and more than most. While seeing him share a ring with Joshua would be great, he owes boxing nothing. His only responsibility is to his wife, Paris, and their children. He should only end his retirement with their full blessing.
I suspect he's serious about retiring, but he's changed his mind before.
When he's finally committed to the history books for good, he'll be remembered as a rare giant who had the ability to box and move, who stayed on top for nearly a full decade and who was always entertaining.
It was an epic ride. We saw a powerful and strong man admit to tremendous vulnerability, and concede he came close to driving his car into a wall to end his own life. But we saw that same man who struggled with mental health issues take on some of the toughest challenges of his era and come out on top. It's a trip that won't soon be forgotten.
File photo
Tyson Fury retires with a 34-2-1 record and 24 knockouts.