Tyson Fury announces retirement AGAIN with statement on his 34th birthday ??

[THREAD] ? pic.twitter.com/jmkpXXNHCr

— Mirror Fighting (@MirrorFighting) August 12, 2022

It remains to be seen if Fury will return to the ring, but if this is to be the end of his professional career, where does he rank alongside some of the greats of the heavyweight division?

Fury has yet to suffer defeat in 33 fights since he turned pro in 2008. He has an impressive record of 32-1-0. 23 of those wins have been by KO or TKO. The defining moments of his career were the victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder, both of which resulted in the British boxer becoming a world champion.

There is not much left for Fury to still achieve in the sport. However, he is likely to watch Anthony Joshua’s upcoming bout with Oleksandr Usyk. His fellow British compatriot is the underdog in the Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua odds at 13/8. Success for AJ may be enough to tempt him out of retirement, as talks between the rivals could be reignited.

Fury Not Only Has Shown Class Cut but Also Toughness

Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Joe Frazier and George Foreman all suffered defeats in their careers, so if Fury does walk away for good, he can boast an unbeaten record unlike any of those greats. However, it is worth noting that those four men all fought many more fights, and most of their defeats came at the back end of their careers.

Tyson Fury makes history:

He is now the 1st fighter to end TWO reigns of 10+ title defenses:

2015: Fury defeats Wladimir Klitschko, who was attempting a 19th title defense

2020: Fury defeats Deontay Wilder, who was attempting an 11th title defense

This was Wilder's 1st loss pic.twitter.com/ZCdXCSMhfJ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 23, 2020

One of Fury’s greatest strengths is his resilience. His battles outside of the ring have been well documented. After his victory over Klitschko in 2015, it looked as though we would not see him in a ring again. He went on a three-year exile, before getting himself back into shape for a return to beat Wilder in their second and third encounters.

Inside the ring, his first encounter with Wilder also showed how tough Fury was. In the 12th round of that fight, he was floored by the American. It was a crushing knockdown and it looked certain it would end the fight. However, Fury refused to be beaten that way. He got to his feet just before the 10 counts and then saw out the round to secure a draw with the American.

Best Of His Generation

Although it’s hard to make comparisons with previous eras, Fury has done enough to indicate he is the best of his generation in the heavyweight division. Although he does not possess the same level of power as Wilder and Joshua, his boxing skills have more than made up for that.

Fury’s long reach and movement have ensured he has dominated the ring in the majority of his appearances. Those who have lost to the British boxer have all highlighted how difficult he is to face.

As is often the case, Fury’s full greatness may only be realised long after he is retired. He has set a very high standard for the next generation of boxers to live up to. It would be no surprise to see him take up a new challenge of some kind and go on to be equally as successful in whatever he chooses to do.