Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh has disclosed he’s been in contact with Tyson Fury, the two-time heavyweight champion who shocked fans by announcing his retirement last month.
In a social media video, Fury declared: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I’m going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. Get up!”
Fury’s announcement followed back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, leaving many to mourn the missed opportunity for a much-anticipated bout with Anthony Joshua. Now, Joshua is in search of a new opponent, but Alalshikh hasn’t given up hope on arranging the all-British clash.
JUST IN: Gervonta Davis’ fierce power made former champion quit in knockout as Floyd Mayweather watched ringside
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Alalshikh said: “I want Tyson [next for Joshua]. I spoke with him, but I don’t talk about boxing. I just check about his health and his family. I think maybe he’ll return. Yes, [I think he will return], I hope so.”
British boxing sensation Anthony Joshua, commonly known as ‘AJ’, is keen to step back into the ring for a monumental bout with Tyson Fury following his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September. Discussing the potential clash, Joshua expressed to iFL TV his eagerness for the fight: “I feel like it’s the best fight [for me].” He added: “People might say [Joseph] Parker, people might say – I don’t know. But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense. You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving.”
Undaunted by the prospects of facing ‘Gypsy King’, Joshua boldly stated, “And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up. And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser. And there’s going to be bloodshed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”
In an unrelated note, last week, Fury shared on Instagram his breakfast encounter with football icon Sir Alex Ferguson in Cheshire, capturing the moment with a photograph alongside the caption: “legends of different games! #BREKFAST.” shared with his multitude of social media followers.
It came hours after Top Rank’s COO Brad Jacobs speculated on the heavyweight champion’s possible return from retirement for a clash with Joshua. Discussing the prospective bout with Sky Sports, Jacobs remarked: “He looks like he’s happy retired and doing it, but he’s done that before. He looks like he’s happy retired and doing it, but he’s done that before. But if not God bless him, he’s earned what he’s got. I believe there is the potential for it. What happens nobody knows. Tyson has done shocking things before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did it again.”
