‘Boxing is a drug’ – Oleksandr Usyk finally reacts to Tyson Fury’s shock retirement

Oleksandr Usyk doubts Tyson Fury is retired for good.

‘The Gypsy King’ had boxing fans with their heads in their hands when he hung up his gloves for a fourth time last month.

Before taking to social media to drop the bombshell, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh was preparing an offer for the long-awaited all-British showdown between Fury and Anthony Joshua.

However, Fury’s decision has put those talks on ice.

Some believe he has merely stepped away from the sport as a way of negotiating a better deal for the AJ fight.

Others, like his promoter Frank Warren, think he will stick to his guns.

Usyk’s stance falls closer to the former line of thinking, although his reasoning is far deeper than just money.

“I don’t think about it but I think it is not true,” he told talkSPORT.com in an unprecedented exclusive interview on the London Eye.

“Once Tyson has relaxed, and rested, maybe Tyson will be back.

“Boxing if you do this for a long time: 10, 15, 20, 25 years then boxing is like a drug.

“If you don’t go to training one day then you feel dead. For me, at least.

“I train every day. I don’t do boxing every day. Sometimes I do crossfit, and running training.

“I only do boxing when I am in my camp.”

In many ways boxing is like a drug.

For several pugilists the biggest fight they face is coming to terms with retirement and their fractured lives after boxing.

When your entire existence has been based around the sport and the rigorous routine that comes with it, having that taken away overnight can be devastating to a fighter’s psyche.

So many great champions have fought on for too long; pulled back in by the allure of the bright lights.

Roy Jones Jr insisted at his peak that he would call time on his career before his inevitable decline yet the First Ballot Hall of Famer stepped between the ropes for a professional bout less than two years ago against former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at 54 years old.

READ MORE : Tyson Fury will be Anthony Joshua’s next opponent, not me, says British…

Walking away from the sport has been equally difficult for Fury, who retired for the first time back in November 2013 following the breakdown of his fight with David Haye.

Three months later, he was back in the ring against Joey Abell before pulling off a monumental upset against Wladimir Klitschko for the unified WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles in 2015.

Following a three-year hiatus, Fury returned to action in June 2018.

A miraculous recovery saw him snatch the WBC heavyweight title away from Deontay Wilder in an epic trilogy before defending the belt by flattening Dillian Whyte in April 2022 and then retiring thereafter.

Once again, Fury was back in the ring before the year was out as he battered an ageing Derek Chisora from pillar to post in December 2022.

A crossover clash with Francis Ngannou followed before Oleksandr Usyk handed Fury the first blemishes on his professional record in consecutive fights in May 2024 and December 2024.

“Hi everybody, I’ll make this short and sweet, I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, I’ve loved every single minute of it,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.

“Hi everybody, I’ll make this short and sweet, I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, I’ve loved every single minute of it,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.

“I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, I’ll see you on the other side.”

Only he knows if it is for the long run this time.

‘He doesn’t need to financially’ – Frank Warren reveals the only reason Tyson Fury would reverse retirement

Frank Warren insists Tyson Fury is ‘happy’ with life after boxing.

‘The Gypsy King’  left fans with their heads in their hands after retiring from the sport for a fourth time last month.

In doing so, he walked away from the long-awaited all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua while Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh was preparing an offer.

Several members of the boxing fraternity believe Fury has merely hung up his gloves as a means of driving up his purse for a lucrative clash against AJ.

However, Warren insists money wouldn’t be his primary motivation for returning to the ring.

“I’ve not bothered him and I’ve certainly not spoken to him about fighting again,” Fury’s promoter told the Ariel and Ade show on Tuesday.

“And if he does, that’s got to be his choice. He’s a very, very wealthy guy, he’s made a serious amount of money.

“He doesn’t need, financially, to fight. If he does fight, it’s because he’s got a fighting heart.

“Obviously he’ll get well paid if he does fight. But he’s got a fighting heart.”

Fury walked away from boxing after back-to-back losses at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian slickster edged past Fury in a tight inaugural encounter via split decision in May 2024 before widening the margin to a unanimous decision victory in their December rematch.

Three weeks later, Fury took to social media to announce his retirement, and Warren isn’t expecting his client’s stance to change.

READ MORE : He Was Robbed,Oleksandr Usyk’s Team Finally Reacts To Tyson Fury’s Shock…

“Can he walk away from the sport? He says he has,” Warren added.

“And at this moment in time, he said to me, he’s really in a good place and that he’s very happy.

“And I just want him now to enjoy his family and his life. He had a hard year last year.

“Three training camps one after another, one fight got cancelled because he got the cut eye.

“He needs now to go enjoy his life and enjoy being with his family, which is what he’s doing.”

He Was Robbed,Oleksandr Usyk’s Team Finally Reacts To Tyson Fury’s Shock Retirement After Claiming He Was Robbed

Tyson Fury retired from the sport of boxing at age 36 this year following back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk.

The big man from Morecambe is a two-time world heavyweight champion with statement wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. He fell short for the first time in his professional career in May of 2024, battling Usyk for the undisputed title

In the rematch, the Ukrainian put three of the four major belts on the line after vacating the IBF. He retained them with a unanimous decision, one which Fury branded a ‘robbery.’

Less than a month later, ‘The Gypsy King’ would announce he was to hang up the gloves, ending with a phrase highlighting daylight robbery.

READ MORE : Tyson Fury Delivers ‘Truthful’ Verdict On Whether Deontay Wilder Should….

“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Usyk’s longtime promoter Alex Krassyuk joked that it was the ‘seventh’ time the Brit had announced his retirement.

“I thought it was the seventh time. That was my personal calculation.”

Krassyuk went on to praise Fury and said that he believes fans will see him step through the ropes once more.

“It’s 50/50. He did sound serious, but I can’t be sure he’s out of the ring forever. That’s my personal opinion, my hunch, my feeling. I still can see him fighting. It can be anything, like money, something interesting.

“He’s a champion. He’s strong. He’s well loved and respected in the world of boxing. Why should he quit? I think after six, seven months, he will have a rest and he will probably change his mind.”

Should Fury heavyweight return, he is widely expected to face Anthony Joshua after years of the fight marinating. As for Usyk, he has a keen eye on Daniel Dubois’ IBF title defence against Joseph Parker on February 22, with a match-up against the winner giving him a chance to become undisputed yet again.