Final Nail in Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury as ‘Gypsy King’ Confirms Retirement Stance

The long-anticipated all-British heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has received what may be its final burial. In a development that stunned fans and put an emphatic end to speculation, Fury—known globally as “The Gypsy King”—has once again declared his retirement from professional boxing. And this time, he insists, it’s for good.

Joshua, once the unified WBA, IBF, and WBO champion, and Fury holding every major heavyweight title across his career—the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring; stood as titans on a collision course. But the stars never aligned. And now, after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk and mounting criticism over his performance against MMA convert Francis Ngannou, Fury appears ready to close the book.

Speaking candidly during a family vacation in Lake Como, Italy, the 36-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion posted a video on Instagram, saying: “I hear a lot of talk of the Gypsy King returning to boxing, and I ask this question: for what? What would I return for? More boxing belts? Won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped. That’s it. Fair play to them. They’ve had their use for me.”  He further expressed his satisfaction, having reached the autumn of his career. After all, he has accomplished a fair bit. “But I’m happy. I’m contented with what I’ve done, what I’ve achieved, what I’ve accomplished—been around the world and back again, and here we are.” This is the end, and he means it. 

“So here we are. I am retired and I am staying retired. I’ve got nothing to prove to anybody, and nothing to return for. God bless you all, see you on the other side.” That clear statement has put out the last remaining hopes to rest. 

Tyson Fury on social media today insisting that he will not be making a boxing comeback: “What would I return for? I’m retired and I’m staying retired.” pic.twitter.com/DI0kMARPFS

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 24, 2025

For nearly a decade, boxing enthusiasts fantasized about a Fury-Joshua mega-fight. It had the potential to become a generational battle that promised not only global appeal but a chance to crown a true undisputed British heavyweight king. The two fighters flirted with a matchup in 2017, and negotiations nearly came to fruition in 2021 when boxing fans were extremely close to witnessing the fight, only for a U.S. arbitrator to rule that Fury had to complete his trilogy with Deontay Wilder first. That ruling sent the Joshua fight tumbling like dominoes. Then came 2022—another round of negotiations, another collapse. This time, contractual disagreements and public Twitter spats sank the ship.

Fury’s retirement announcement comes just months after Daniel Dubois defeated Joshua at Wembley Stadium. The Olympic gold medalist has since undergone elbow surgery and is reportedly eyeing a late 2025 return. Still, skeptics abound. The boxing public is no stranger to Fury’s dramatic reversals. The “Gypsy King” has long blurred the line between retirement and reinvention.

Retirement or rhetoric? Tyson Fury’s history of comebacks

Yet if history has taught fans anything, it is this: Tyson Fury’s retirement announcements rarely stick. From abruptly retiring in 2013 after a canceled David Haye bout, to a years-long hiatus following his 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko, to resurfacing in 2018 for his trilogy with Deontay Wilder.

After defeating Dillian Whyte in April 2022 before a Wembley crowd, Fury declared in the post-fight interview, “This might be the end. I’ve given all I can.” A few months later, he was posting training videos and calling out Anthony Joshua once again. By October of that year, he had signed on for a non-title exhibition fight with Derek Chisora—and knocked him out.

Then came the highly unorthodox matchup with Francis Ngannou in 2023, where Fury was knocked down but won a narrow decision—and drew criticism for underestimating his opponent. Fast forward to 2024, and Fury’s pair of fights with Oleksandr Usyk marked a turning point. He lost both contests, the latter more decisively, and even his most loyal fans began to wonder if his best days were behind him.

If this truly is the end, boxing loses not just a heavyweight champion, but one of the sport’s most charismatic and unpredictable figures. The Joshua-Fury saga, once viewed as the defining rivalry of the post-Klitschko era, now becomes a case study of how the best matchups don’t always make it to the ring.

Still, as boxing fans know too well—retirements are often just another round.

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