Turki Alalshikh reveals he intends to hold talks with Tyson Fury about potentially reversing his decision to retire from the sport of boxing.
The two-time heavyweight champion took to social media on Monday confirming his decision to hang up the gloves. “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” he said. “I would like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it. And I’m going to end with this… Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody see you on the other side. Get up!”
His decision comes just a few weeks after suffering a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. Despite back-to-back losses against the Ukrainian, many were hoping to see an all-British heavyweight showdown between Fury and Anthony Joshua this year. However, those ambitions have now seemingly been scuppered.
Speaking to Jim White & Simon Jordan on talkSPORT, Alalshikh was disappointed with Fury’s decision to retire, but understands why he’s decided to call it a day: “First of all, this kind of decision has to be from the fighters,” he said. “It must be whatever they are thinking if they have something to give or not. As a fan of boxing, I don’t like it. We want to see Tyson in more big fights, but I can understand his decision. But over time this decision can change.”
The Saudi boxing chief was then quizzed about whether or not he’ll hold talks with the ‘Gypsy King’ over a possible retirement U-turn, to which he responded: “Yes, of course. But a lot of rumours don’t help us. No-one will propose £500 million for a fight, these numbers are incorrect.”
Just two days on from his retirement announcement, Fury was spotted for the first time and appeared to be in good spirits. The 36-year-old was seen at a petrol station in Lancashire, clutching a can of Monster energy drink before entering his vehicle. Reacting to the recent announcement, the Brit’s long-time promoter Frank Warren has urged his star client to “enjoy” his retirement.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “God bless him, that’s what he wants to do. That’s great. I mean he’s done everything he can do. He’s probably been the best British heavyweight of his generation by far. Two-time world champion, and two closely fought fights against Usyk. He’s got plenty of money, he’s got his wits about him, he’s got a lovely family. So God bless him, let him enjoy it.”
While many believe that Fury will opt against fighting again, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insists that Fury’s announcement is simply a negotiating tactic regarding the potential clash with ‘AJ’. “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 said. “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.
“My gut feeling is we see AJ against Fury this summer. But, maybe he’s for real. I cannot believe that he would check out without doing that fight. But if he genuinely isn’t enjoying it anymore, he should retire.”
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