TYSON FURY and Anthony Joshua will still meet in a heavyweight Battle of Britain this summer, despite the Gypsy King’s claims of retirement.
That is the opinion of Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn in the wake of Fury’s Instagram video that announced the twice-beaten former world champion’s retirement.
Following Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh last month, it had been suggested that he will return to the ring by facing Joshua in their long-awaited domestic showdown later this year.
Even Joshua broke from his normal low-key mode to call Fury out during an interview at the weekend where he declared that the fight has to happen.
However Fury has apparently decided against a money-spinning clash with his fellow Brit in favour of walking away from the sport with a 34-2-1 (24) record.
But Hearn still believes Joshua and Fury will fight this summer.
He said: “My gut feeling is we see AJ against Fury this summer. But, maybe he’s for real.
“I just cannot believe that he would check out without doing that fight. But if he genuinely isn’t enjoying it anymore, he should retire.
“I’m not going to accuse him of not being genuine but I think you get a better deal coming out of retirement or maybe he just hasn’t got the stomach for it anymore. He got beat twice and has had enough. I doubt it but who knows. I don’t know him well enough to know but maybe he’s done.
“I think he’s either going to fight AJ or he’s never going to fight again so it’s still the same situation.
“Riyadh Season begins in October so maybe it opens up Riyadh Season. Maybe his excellency [Turki Al-Alshikh] does something in the summer. Maybe it never happens.
“I don’t think his excellency will be saying ‘we’ve got to get him out of retirement’. Maybe he just says ‘ok, thank you, have fun’.”
When asked whether he thought Fury decided to announce his retirement because AJ had openly called him out, Hearn added: “Maybe. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen AJ really call him out.
“So does Fury want that pressure to keep mounting on him or does he want to draw a line under it by saying: ‘I’m retired, fuck off’. You can’t say anything else now can you?
“I don’t know if Tyson Fury is ready yet to live the life without boxing and without competition and confrontation. But maybe. I really don’t know the guy but maybe the last fight and last camp was horrible for him and he didn’t enjoy it. He’s made an absolute fortune and said ‘fuck it I’m done’.”
