Tyson Fury issues passionate retirement plea ahead of Oleksandr Usyk boxing rematch
WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Tyson Fury pleads with Deontay Wilder to retire
Tyson Fury has pleaded with former rival Deontay Wilder to retire from boxing, insisting his name is the only thing he's got left.
The pair met three times earlier in their careers, with their first bout ending in a draw before Fury won the other two.
Since his second defeat to the Briton in October 2021, however, Wilder has struggled.
The Bronze Bomber was able to beat Robert Helenius but has crashed to defeats against both Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang over the past two months.
Tyson Fury has pleaded with former rival Deontay Wilder to retire from boxing, insisting his name is the only thing he's got left
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With Wilder on the wane, the 39-year-old has faced calls to retire.
And Fury, speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, has now admitted that he feels his former rival should hang up his gloves.
"I'd like to see poor old Deontay retire from boxing," said the 36-year-old.
“Obviously he lost the three fights to me. We took a lot of years off of each other’s lives.
“That war that ended in the 11th round by knockout, that takes a lot out your tank and you don’t recover from fights like that.
“Between me and Wilder in our trilogy there were ten knockdowns. It takes a lot out of a fighter.
“Even when he’s come back and had a couple of fights since against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, he’s only a shadow of his former glory.
“The only thing left of Deontay is his name. And that’s it.
"So I’d like to see him retire for sure before he does damage to himself.”
Wilder has stayed away from the spotlight ever since his defeat to Zhang earlier in the year.
As things stand, it's unclear if the boxing star will return to action.
However, speaking recently, Wilder's coach Malik Scott insisted the Bronze Bomber was keen on a return.
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Tyson Fury beat Deontay Wilder twice earlier in their respective careers
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He also said Wilder's low profile was because he's been resting and focusing on his family, too.
“He definitely wants to fight again, for sure," he said.
“Some good things should be coming up in 2025.
"For now, Deontay has just been resting and focusing on family and his businesses.
Tyson Fury is currently preparing for his boxing rematch with Oleksandr Usyk after losing to the Ukrainian back in May
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"When you are in the second half of your career and in high-level fights against bigger guys, rest is just as important as ripping and running.”
As for Fury, he's currently focusing on his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The pair will do battle for a second time on December 21, with Fury losing to the Ukrainian the first time around in May.
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