Tyson Fury will be given time to decide his future, according to the WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Following Fury’s victory over Dillian Whyte a little over a week ago, the WBC heavyweight champion told the press that he would be stepping away from the sport and intended to retire.
Others close to Fury had suggested that he might be tempted back into the ring to contest the undisputed designation with one of Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua. Fury himself announced he might fight UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a hybrid-rules exhibition.
The WBC could feasibly order Fury to take on another mandatory challenger at some point in the coming months but like most governing bodies they have offered flexibility when it comes to facilitating an undisputed clash, and the Daily Star newspaper reports that Sulaiman told them that they would give him time to consider his options before he takes any action regarding their current champion’s status.
For now, Fury is likely to have his choice of fighter, but the 33-year-old has been insistent that he wants to retire with his health intact, and exhibition fights would be less taxing and potentially more profitable.