In a surprisingly candid interview, Tyson Fury revealed his reasoning for taking on Francis Ngannou as his future opponent on October 28th and seemingly doubled down on his refusal to fight any of the other top heavyweights, including current unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Though the two had been in negotiations earlier this year, Fury no longer seems to be interested in becoming an undisputed heavyweight champion.
“[When] I came back to boxing, I said I wanted to make as much money as possible, that’s what I said to my lawyer,” Tyson Fury told Sky Sports on his return to boxing in 2018 after an absence of nearly three years.
“I didn’t come back this time for belts or titles or anything. I came back to secure my family, and their family and their kids, and their grandkids. And I’ve done it.“
Fury continued to explain why he was still boxing: “The reason why I’m even boxing anymore; one, wanted to regain the belts which I’ve done, and two, more than that, is to get the biggest bags possible.“
Tyson Fury now seems to have fully accepted his position in life and career as a boxer after admitting he was only in the sport for monetary gain. Without a doubt, Fury’s revelation is likely the most honest interview he has ever held after admitting to the interviewer that his only reason for boxing was to earn money.
It is something that both top heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have admitted, though the reactions to their revelations were slightly different with Joshua criticized for his comments, while Wilder’s were widely ignored. Fury, however, seems to have broken the lid that truly characterizes the modern-day boxer’s goal in boxing, which is likely not to fight for a legacy but simply to make the most money available to be earned.
When asked about potentially fighting the other top heavyweights, Tyson Fury was dismissive.
“I have no interest in fighting those guys because I’m bigger than all of them. I’m a superstar. They’re nobodies. I’m happy, they’re not. I have everything they want, and there’s nothing they can do about it.” Fury maintained.
Though Fury’s motive for not fighting them does not seem to make sense, his previous comments seem to clear up exactly why he’s not interested in engaging with the other heavyweights. For one, he further revealed in the interview that he was not interested in fighting his mandatories, as he would not earn as much money, thus making it unlikely he will fight Oleksandr Usyk for his three titles in the near or far future.
His sense of superiority over the other fighters seems to also be one of the reasons he doesn’t want to fight any of the others, despite having a known history of calling out other heavyweights. It appears that Fury might have changed his mind in this regard and is now simply looking for the best fights to make money through instead of risking his career and his health to fight other heavyweights.
In essence, Fury’s comments seem to be indicative of a fighter that is all but ready to retire or ‘cash out’ in the sense of making the most money before eventual retirement, hence his scheduled match with Francis Ngannou which is set to take place on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Most notably, Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has not had a single professional boxing fight up to this point.
