By Barry Holbrook: Bob Arum says Tyson Fury will change his mind about retiring after he watches the July rematch between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Arum thinks that whatever Fury is saying now about hanging up his gloves, his view will potentially change in the summer when Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) and IBF/WBA/WBO champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) meet for their second fight.
It would be difficult for Fury not to come back if Joshua defeats Usyk, considering that would be set the table for a massive Joshua-Fury encounter that would create a tremendous amount of interest worldwide.
Did Wilder destroy Fury’s motivation?
If Fury changes his mind about retiring, it wouldn’t be the first time he did it.
However, some boxing fans believe that the headshots that Fury took in his three fights with Deontay Wilder have taken away his motivation for the sport, as he was knocked down four times by the American.
Fury made a lot of money in his fights against Wilder and his last one against Dillian Whyte, enough to keep him wealthy for the remainder of his life.
For now, WBC champion Fury (32-0-1, 22 KOs) is planning to retire after finishing his career with a sixth-round knockout win over a very poor-looking Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Arum meeting with Fury
“I’ll meet with Tyson [Fury], we’ll have dinner together, and whatever he wants to talk about,” said Bob Arum to Fighthype last Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll talk any further about his retirement. I mean, with Tyson Fury, you’ve got to give him space about what he wants to do,” Arum continued.
“Again, I’m not going to push him for answers or anything. There’s no reason to. We’ll just have a nice conversation. When he says he’s retired, he means it now. But whether he’ll mean it two months from now, that’s problematic.
“I think once the Joshua vs. Usyk fight happens, I think the blood will stir in his body.
“That’s Eddie’s job, I’m not going to comment on that,” said Arum when asked where the Joshua – Usyk rematch will take place. “I’m sure it’ll be a very good fight, and I’m sure he’ll be able to place it where he wants.
“I think Usyk-Joshua will be a very good fight, and I frankly look for Usyk to do the same thing as in the first fight,” said Arum.
If Usyk does defeat Joshua, it might work against Arum getting Fury to come back for a final fight because he doesn’t seem excited about fighting him. The guy that Fury has wanted to fight for years is Joshua, but he gets beaten, his motivation to face the fleet-footed Usyk might not be there.
