There has been much speculation on Tyson Fury’s next move. Be it the AJ fight or a Tyson Fury retirement, fans have been waiting with bated breath to see what The Gypsy King will do after his second loss to Usyk.
Tyson Fury lost to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in December 2024. In their first encounter, a highly anticipated clash on May 18, 2024, Fury lost on a split decision, a bout that saw Usyk become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. However, Usyk’s undisputed reign was short-lived as he vacated the IBF heavyweight title on June 25, 2024, to allow for other mandatory challengers. In the December 2024 rematch, the result for the Ukrainian was unanimous.
Following these defeats, Fury’s professional record stood at 34-2-1, whilst Oleksandr Usyk’s impressive run continued, elevating his record to 23-0. Usyk’s victory in the first fight against Fury made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat in 1999. Usyk marks the fourth Brit in a row Fury had conquered at that point, with the pound-for-pound elite fighter having previously defeated Anthony Joshua twice, Daniel Dubois, and Derek Chisora. Usyk also stopped Tony Bellew in his last fight at cruiserweight before moving up to the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury’s Retirement and Subsequent Return
Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, had previously stated that he would leave the decision entirely up to Fury and his family, and would not encourage him to fight again if he did not want to. Well, it seemed on January 13, 2025, that Fury had made his decision, releasing a video to Instagram in which he unequivocally declared his intentions.
‘I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing it’s been a blast’.
He ended his video with the following message, ‘Dick Turpin wore a mask’. This cryptic message was widely interpreted as Fury’s belief that he was unfairly judged in the Usyk fights, drawing a parallel to Dick Turpin, the infamous 18th-century English highwayman known for his daylight robberies.
This was not the first time Fury had announced his retirement, and many in the boxing world treated the declaration with a degree of skepticism. The Gypsy King last ‘retired’ after facing Dillian Whyte in April 2022, before making a swift return to the ring later that same year for a trilogy bout against Derek Chisora. True to form, Fury’s retirement proved to be temporary. He eventually returned to action on April 11, 2026, facing Arslanbek Makhmudov in London and securing a unanimous decision victory after 12 rounds. This brought his updated professional record to 35-2-1.
Oleksandr Usyk’s Undisputed Reign and Continued Dominance
Oleksandr Usyk’s journey through the heavyweight division has been nothing short of historic. After becoming the undisputed champion by defeating Tyson Fury in May 2024, he briefly relinquished that status by vacating the IBF title. However, Usyk quickly re-established his dominance. On July 19, 2025, he faced Daniel Dubois in a highly anticipated rematch at Wembley Stadium. Usyk delivered a masterful performance, securing a fifth-round knockout victory and, in doing so, regained all four major heavyweight titles (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO), becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, a feat not seen since Muhammad Ali. His current professional record stands unblemished at 24-0 with 15 knockouts.
Usyk’s next challenge is scheduled for May 23, 2026, where he is set to face kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven at the iconic Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. [cite: 2
There has been much speculation on Tyson Fury’s next move. Be it the AJ fight or a Tyson Fury retirement, fans have been waiting with bated breath to see what The Gypsy King will do after his second loss to Usyk.
Tyson Fury lost to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in December 2024. In their first encounter, a highly anticipated clash on May 18, 2024, Fury lost on a split decision, a bout that saw Usyk become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. [cite: 1, 25, 30] However, Usyk’s undisputed reign was short-lived as he vacated the IBF heavyweight title on June 25, 2024, to allow for other mandatory challengers. [cite: 21, 24] In the December 2024 rematch, the result for the Ukrainian was unanimous. [cite: 1, 17, 21, 26]
Following these defeats, Fury’s professional record stood at 34-2-1, whilst Oleksandr Usyk’s impressive run continued, elevating his record to 23-0. [cite: 1, 2, 4] Usyk’s victory in the first fight against Fury made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat in 1999. [cite: 1, 3, 19, 23, 25, 30, 37] Usyk marks the fourth Brit in a row Fury had conquered at that point, with the pound-for-pound elite fighter having previously defeated Anthony Joshua twice, Daniel Dubois, and Derek Chisora. Usyk also stopped Tony Bellew in his last fight at cruiserweight before moving up to the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury’s Retirement and Subsequent Return
Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, had previously stated that he would leave the decision entirely up to Fury and his family, and would not encourage him to fight again if he did not want to. Well, it seemed on January 13, 2025, that Fury had made his decision, releasing a video to Instagram in which he unequivocally declared his intentions. [cite: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7]
‘I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing it’s been a blast’.
He ended his video with the following message, ‘Dick Turpin wore a mask’. [cite: 2, 4, 6] This cryptic message was widely interpreted as Fury’s belief that he was unfairly judged in the Usyk fights, drawing a parallel to Dick Turpin, the infamous 18th-century English highwayman known for his daylight robberies.
This was not the first time Fury had announced his retirement, and many in the boxing world treated the declaration with a degree of skepticism. The Gypsy King last ‘retired’ after facing Dillian Whyte in April 2022, before making a swift return to the ring later that same year for a trilogy bout against Derek Chisora. [cite: 2, 4, 6, 7] True to form, Fury’s retirement proved to be temporary. He eventually returned to action on April 11, 2026, facing Arslanbek Makhmudov in London and securing a unanimous decision victory after 12 rounds. [cite: 8, 35, 39, 46] This brought his updated professional record to 35-2-1. [cite: 8, 35, 39, 42, 44]
Oleksandr Usyk’s Undisputed Reign and Continued Dominance
Oleksandr Usyk’s journey through the heavyweight division has been nothing short of historic. After becoming the undisputed champion by defeating Tyson Fury in May 2024, he briefly relinquished that status by vacating the IBF title. [cite: 21, 24] However, Usyk quickly re-established his dominance. On July 19, 2025, he faced Daniel Dubois in a highly anticipated rematch at Wembley Stadium. Usyk delivered a masterful performance, securing a fifth-round knockout victory and, in doing so, regained all four major heavyweight titles (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO), becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, a feat not seen since Muhammad Ali. [cite: 10, 12, 14, 20, 24] His current professional record stands unblemished at 24-0 with 15 knockouts. [cite: 10, 20, 40]
Usyk’s next challenge is scheduled for May 23, 2026, where he is set to face kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven at the iconic Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. [cite: 2
