Tyson Fury makes heartfelt retirement admission ahead of Usyk rematch and admits he has ‘toxic relationship’ with boxing
TYSON FURY admits he doesn't know if his "toxic relationship" with boxing will allow him to walk away from the sport.
The Gypsy King, 36, has "retired" several times in recent years only to reverse his decision and return to the squared circle.
But with his physical prime well behind him and his punch resistance no longer what it once was, it's clear and evident that Fury's days in the sport are numbered.
Hanging up his gloves and fully dedicating himself to his family of nine, however, will be just as difficult as any fight the Wythenshawe warrior has had in his professional career.
He told Queensberry Promotions: “I’ve been in love with boxing for such a long time – from being a little boy.
"And I’m probably at the end of my career in the next few years.
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“It’s been a love-hate relationship. It’s been toxic at times. When it’s good, it’s very good, and when it’s bad, it’s very toxic.
“So I’m in that relationship and I don’t just abandon things.
"I try and make things work and that’s where we are at the minute.
"We’ve been in this romantic relationship since I can remember, since I was a child, and now I am a fully grown adult with a family of my own.
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Fusy vs Usyk: Round by round verdict
HERE'S how SunSport's Chisanga Malata saw the fight as Oleksandr Usyk was crowned undisputed king of the world against Tyson Fury.
ROUND 1
Here we go. Both men look to establish dominance early by taking the centre of the ring.
Fury marches down the Ukrainian, who opens up with a stiff body shot.
The Gypsy King looks massive in comparison to Usyk, who is no dwarf whatsoever.
Usyk is happy to operate on the outside, although the early jab he's eaten will have given him some food for thought.
Fury is trying to draw out attacks from Usyk, who is not putting too much into his punches.
Fury gets backed into the corner and channels his inner Muhammad Ali by doing the rope-a-dope.
Usyk lands a big overhand left just seconds before backing Fury into the corner.
Fury dodges the ensuing flurry and gestures to the crowd as if demanding them to acknowledge his head movement. USYK 10-9
ROUND 2
Usyk opens up the round with a big one-two that snaps back the head of Fury.
Fury tries to make light of it but that combo clearly stunned him.
Usyk is setting the stone and the pressure as he advances forward.
A big uppercut narrowly misses for Fury, who knows all too well that's the shot to deploy on a shorter opponent.
Fury is throwing more punches but isn't being as accurate as Usyk.
Usyk backs up Fury into the corner and lands a good three-punch combo.
But Fury comes roaring back with a hard body shot after circling away from danger.
Fury finally lands an uppercut, albeit to the body of the former cruiserweight king. FURY 10-9
ROUND 3
Fury is on his bike after the restart and lands a stiff straight right from range.
Usyk has decided to close the distance after eating that shot and is going to work on Fury's trimmed-down torso.
A solid overhand left snaps back the head of Fury with just over a minute of the stanza remaining.
Fury lands a good combo with thirty seconds remaining. But he gets pushed back against the ring again and eats another flurry before the bell. USYK 10-9
Round 4
Fury goes to work to the body with two hard shots after the restart.
He's absolutely loving this, dancing around after landing his shots.
But he's still allowing himself to get backed up and invite the pressure from Usyk.
Fury lands a beautiful counter right as Usyk comes forward.
Usyk has his head snapped back by another hellacious uppercut.
Both men nearly land hard back hands before the bell, with Fury narrowly missing an uppercut and Usyk an overhand left. FURY 10-9
Round 5
Usyk takes the centre of the ring after the restart and looks to feint his way into range.
Fury is doing a good job of keeping the Ukrainian at bay when he looks to close the distance.
A rasping uppercut snaps back the head of Usyk.
Fury is hurting Usyk to the body with relentless hooks to the midriff. FURY 10-9
Round 6
Usyk is on the front foot straight after the restart and is looking to put Fury on the back foot again.
A hard body shot to the solar plexus gives Usyk more food for thought.
Fury almost closed the show with a huge uppercut with a minute and a half of the round remaining.
But he finds a home for it 20 seconds later and Usyk is in retreat mode.
Fury closes out the round with a bit of showboating, put his hands behind his back before resting his arms on the ropes.
A huge round for the Wythenshawe warrior. FURY 10-9
Round 7
Usyk once again closes the distance after the restart but he's getting picked off at range.
And when he does take a step back, his body is getting blasted by nasty hooks.
Usyk finds a home for his straight left but Fury eats it like a packed lunch made by his loving wife Paris.
Another straight left snaps back the head of Fury, who circles back out of range to try to create space for a body shot
Usyk manages to close the distance with seconds remaining ad finds a home for a two-punch combo.
But Fury manages to circle away to hear the bell. FURY 10-9
Round 8
Fury is happy to operate on the back foot in the eighth and pick his shots.
But he gets his dome rattled by back-to-back straight left hands - which he brushes off before going back to feinting and trying to create space for a body shot.
Usyk briefly finds himself dealing with Fury's weight in the clinch after landing a good straight left.
Fury is bleeding profusely from his nose. I'm not what caused the damage. Big round that for Usyk. USYK 10-9
Round 9
Fury is doing a good job of bamboozling Usyk with feints, but the Ukrainian continues to come forward.
But he's slowly but surely allowing the gap to be closed, which leads to him eating a big left hand flush in the corner.
Fury gets hurt and is stumbling around the ring. It was a left hand that did the damage.
Fury doesn't know where he is and is eating a barrage of crisp follow-up shots. He beats the count and the bell thankfully saves him. USYK 10-8
Round 10
Usyk - like the Big Cat he is - senses blood and isn't giving Fury any respite.
Fury is barely throwing anything and what he is throwing is telegraphed and slow.
Usyk looks tired, but he needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal if he's to have any chance of becoming a two-weight undisputed champion. USYK 10-9
Round 11
A desperate Usyk, spurred on by the plight of his fellow Ukrainians back home, immediately goes to work after the restart.
Fury tries to keep him at bay with the jab but is struggling to pump it out with the stiffness it had in the early rounds.
Usyk briefly traps the WBC king in the corner and lands a rasping left hand.
Usyk doubles up with two left hands that briefly back Fury against the ropes.
The round ends with yet another big overhand left from Usyk. USYK 10-9
Round 12
The fans in attendance at the Kingdom Arena cheer both warriors on after the final restart of the fight.
Fury is playing matador as Usyk looks to step into range to land his left hand.
And he finds a home for it with a minute and a half of the stanza remaining.
A chopping right hand sends Fury backwards, but he returns fire with a booking shot of his own that backs up the southpaw.
Fury puts his hands behind his back in a bid to goad Usyk to making a sloppy mistake in the closing seconds.
But he stays sharp as he looks to close the distance, which Fury times to initiate a clinch. FURY 10-9
TOTAL Fury 113 Usyk 114
"It’s like, ‘Do I abandon it, or do I not?’ I wanted to walk away a lot of times but it always drags me back.”
Bar becoming the undisputed king of the heavyweights, which he failed to do in his Saudi showdown with Oleksandr Usyk in May, Fury has achieved it all.
Fighting keeps the dad-of-eight on the mental straight and narrow, although it's become somewhat of a double-edged sword.
“It’s like a massive drug and an addiction," Fury admitted. “I know it’s an addiction and I’m an addictive person.
"Boxing is an addiction; it’s not my best friend. It abuses me. When I come in this gym, it abuses my body, my mind [and] my soul.
"But afterwards I feel like it takes me to ecstasy. The rush is unbelievable.
"It gives me the biggest highs ever, but it also gives me the lowest lows as well.
"Boxing is more addictive than any drug ever. Ever. You can’t let it go.”
Fury's dream of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight king since Lennox Lewis in 1999 was shattered in his Riyadh rumble with Usyk.
The former unified champion suffered a split decision loss to the slick southpaw, whom he'll renew his rivalry with on December 21.
And to say he's champing at the bit to exact his revenge on the undefeated Ukrainian would be an understatement.
He said of the desert dust-up: "[I'm] counting down the days until I can get my redemption on Usyk.
"December 21 is going to be my time. I've done everything in boxing, but I ain't come back from a loss.
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"And I relish it, the chance to redeem myself GET UP.
"December 21 is all me - undisputed heavyweight here I come."