There is scepticism over Tyson Fury’s claim that he could retire after beating Dillian Whyte, and according to some bookmakers he is odds-on to fight again no later than next year.
Saturday night saw the WBC champion successfully defend his belt against his mandatory challenger at Wembley Stadium, delivering a sixth-round knockout. Afterwards he suggested that ‘this is it’ for his career, and he may now focus on exhibition fights.
However his wife, Paris Fury, claimed that she could see him making an exception for a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua, with their rematch due in July this year.
That would open up the chance to set up a huge undisputed clash before the end of the year, if not a little later.
Betting company William Hill are offering odds that reflect the expectation that Fury is unlikely to walk away, with odds of 11/10 for him to fight again in 2022, and 4/11 before the end of 2023.
To take the other view, they offer 2/1 that he will not fight again before the end of 2023, and Fury vs. Joshua is offered at evens.
William Hill’s Tony Kenny said: “There’s still business to be done for Tyson Fury. A unification bout could be on the table soon and we make Fury 4/11 to fight before the end of 2023 and 11/10 to step into the ring again this year.
“Fury is a crowd-pleaser, and nothing would satisfy the masses more than a dust-up with Anthony Joshua. That fight would surely draw Fury out of retirement and we make it evens to happen before the end of next year.
“Whether he fights again or not, we think Fury has earned the right to be in the mix for SPOTY and he’s been cut to 10/1 from 16/1 after Saturday night.”