Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua shared a cryptic response to Tyson Fury’s retirement declaration.
Many boxing fans weren’t buying Tyson Fury‘s retirement announcement just weeks after his rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December. This wasn’t the first time Fury shared he’d decided to hang up the gloves during his legendary career, as he’s changed course on retirement repeatedly.
But Fury’s latest retirement message seemed legitimate, after Fury recently posted footage of him and his wife on holiday in Italy. In a recent social media post, Fury addressed rumors that he was in talks to return to the ring, potentially against fellow UK star Anthony Joshua.
Fury shut down the rumors and doubled down on walking away from boxing. Despite this, Joshua remains optimistic that Fury will change his mind and come back to the ring for an all-UK showdown.
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Anthony Joshua shares surprisingly optimistic message on Tyson Fury’s retirement
In a recent post on Snapchat, Joshua reacted to Fury’s announcement.
“One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually,” Joshua commented.
Joshua posted the message along with him watching old fights of Fury from his career. Joshua, who hasn’t fought since a loss to Daniel Dubois last year, is nearing a potential return to the ring later this summer.
Fury’s back-to-back losses to Usyk in 2024 were the first defeats of his boxing career. Before the Usyk fights, Fury won a controversial decision against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the latter’s boxing debut.
Talks of a Fury vs. Joshua super fight have circulated for years, and the matchup nearly came to fruition in 2021 in Saudi Arabia. After Fury’s second fight with Deontay Wilder, the UK superstar turned his attention towards a matchup with Joshua, before he and his team were contractually ordered to grant Wilder a trilogy bout.
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While Joshua’s return to the ring hasn’t been booked yet, several names are in the mix to face the former heavyweight champion for his comeback fight. Earlier this year, Joshua revealed Martin Bakole, Agit Kabayel, and Deontay Wilder are all in the mix for his next fight.
Wilder will return to the ring next month in Wichita, Kansas as he attempts to snap an ongoing losing skid. Before the loss to Dubois, Joshua earned recent wins over Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua’s boxing return is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, and several top names are on the table. If Dubois upsets Usyk next month, a rematch with Joshua could be next in line.