Surprise, surprise, Tyson Fury announces his intention to return to the boxing ring if he pays enough money for his time, writes Elliot Worsell
WHEN children declare that they are taking a vow of silence in the name of competition, there is always one child who, despite wanting to win, has a crippling inability to stay silent for long periods of time.
To seal their fate, that particular child might cough, or cough, or sigh, or just blurt out whatever is on his or her mind. But two things are certain: first, this kid finds it impossible to resist the need to hear himself talk, and second, it’s more than likely that Tyson Fury, the current world heavyweight champion, was that very kid.
I’m only assuming this because Fury, even at his relatively young age (for a heavyweight) of 33, has both retired and retired more times than the likes of “Sugar” Ray Leonard, and moreover, hates the idea of silence. It’s either defeat or death for Fury and indeed his ability to make noise as one of the most charismatic and interesting figures in sport is exactly what made him the rich and famous sports star he is today. Without that sound, Fury, 32-0-1 (23), would be just another world-class heavyweight, albeit an obscenely talented one. Without them, you would also know once and for all that Fury had left the building.
“We have some very exciting news,” Fury revealed in an interview with promoter Frank Warren, broadcast live on the Queensbury Promotions YouTube channel on Tuesday night (14 June). “I think the world has been waiting for a plan of action and last week we had a nice Italian (meal) down in London and a long chat about a lot of things.”
Well, for the sake of context, clarity, and maybe even sanity, it’s worth pointing out that a) the world had hardly been waiting for Fury’s “plan of action,” with all due respect, and b) it had only been 52 days since Fury’s last bout, a superb sixth-round KO of Dillian Whyte at Wembley.
In other words, while Fury and his moves will always remain intrigued, he hasn’t exactly tested his audience’s patience by waiting less than two months to provide any sort of update. Had Fury not voluntarily backed himself into a corner after Whyte’s win by telling the world he had retired, such an “action plan” would not even have been needed. He could have just planned it, whatever it is, and then acted on it.
“I’m going to be 100 percent back in the ring,” he announced anyway, “just like in the movie (Jerry Maguire) when Jerry Maguire shouted, ‘Show me the money!’
“If anyone can show me the money, it’s Frank Warren. I call him the “Magic Man” and we’re going to make some big, big things happen.
“I’m a prizefighter, but it’s going to cost something if you want me to make a mission at this middleweight (Oleksandr Usyk, presumably). I’ll show you what a real heavyweight does.”
Of course, as good as it is to hear confirmation of Fury’s inevitable return, these are words we’ve heard before, seemingly rehashed from press releases or press conferences from years past. That’s not to say the words don’t carry any weight anymore – when it comes to money, they certainly do – but rather a reminder that Fury is a man and fighter whose actions are always better than hearing what comes out of his mouth.
The story eventually suggests that as far as Fury is concerned, there’s a motive behind every word he says and every move he makes. So, rather than getting too excited about today’s “announcement,” we now need to decode a) why his so-called retirement lasted only 52 days, conjecturing that there might be more money up for grabs if he had it Yes, really testing his audience’s patience and b) how to raise the money needed to turn a riot video into an actual riot.