Fury backtracks on retirement claim

Tyson Fury has retracted a statement that he has retired from boxing.
Tyson FuryTyson Fury
Tyson Fury

The Morecambe giant has been at the centre of headlines for the latest couple of weeks, his team first saying he was “medically unfit” to compete in his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.

There were then reports over the weekend that Fury had tested positive for cocaine the day before the postponement was announced.

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The WBO and WBA champion first responded in typically defiant fashion, sharing a picture on Twitter from the film Scarface, which shows the main character Tony Montana sat with a pile of cocaine on a table in front of him. Fury superimposed his face onto the picture, with the hashtag #tysonmontana which did little to clear up the confusion surrounding the reports.

Fury then tweeted that he was going to retire, stating: “Boxing is the saddest thing I ever took part in...I’m the greatest and I’m also retired.”

However, he has since backtracked on that claim, later tweeting: “I’m here to stay.”

Fury has regularly talked about hanging up the gloves.

Speaking days after his win over Klitschko last November, he said: “Retirement is a thought.

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“It’s not about money for me or else I’d carry on until I couldn’t walk any more.

“It’s not about defending 100 times or staying on top for 35 years or breaking records.

“For me it was about beating Wladimir Klitschko, the man who couldn’t be beaten.”

The alleged postive cocaine test could lead to Fury being stripped of his titles. ESPN reported he gave a urine sample to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in Lancaster on September 22, with the Morecambe heavyweight’s team declining to comment.

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The 28-year-old had been due to face Klitschko in Manchester on October 29, but that clash was postponed on September 23.

One attempt at a rematch – set for July 9 – had already been shelved because of an ankle injury sustained by Fury.

Second time around his uncle and trainer Peter Fury revealed in an interview that his charge was “seeking help” and was at “an all-time low”.