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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Jelani Scott

Tyson Fury Criticizes Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua Bout

Tyson Fury again hinted at a possible return to the ring on Saturday during a fiery tirade immediately following Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Anthony Joshua.

Usyk claimed a split decision in a rematch with Joshua in Saudia Arabia to retain the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, much to the chagrin of the recently-retired reigning WBC champion. Fury, who reaffirmed his plan to stay retired on Aug. 12, shared an NSFW response on Instagram and Twitter claiming he would “annihilate” both fighters not long after the bout concluded.

“To be honest with you guys, after watching that, the both of them was s----,” Fury exclaimed. “It was probably the [worst] heavyweight title fight I have ever seen. It was bull----. Come on. I would annihilate both of them on the same night. F—ing s----. 

“Get your f—ing checkbook out, because ‘The Gypsy King’ is here to stay forever.”

While some may consider Fury’s mic drop as nothing more than well-timed posturing, The Gypsy King’s short-lived comeback attempt earlier this month suggests he may not be truly ready to hang up his gloves. After originally announcing his retirement in April after beating Dillian Whyte, Fury (32–0–1, 23 KOs) hinted at a trilogy fight with fellow Englishman Derek Chisora, but talks have since died down.

As fans and pundits continue to speculate on Fury’s in-ring future, Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) said Saturday that he believes the sport hasn’t seen the last of his fellow undefeated heavyweight champ. The Ukrainian champion challenged Fury to face him in a long-awaited unification title fight in a post-fight interview; according to ESPN, a possible fight could take place in December.

“I’m sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet,” Usyk said. “I’m sure. I’m convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. And if I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all.”

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