Tyson Fury 'might retire' and break Oleksandr Usyk boxing agreement in huge twist
Tyson Fury has been backed to retire from boxing instead of fighting Oleksandr Usyk
GETTY
George Groves thinks Tyson Fury might quit boxing despite contracts being signed for a blockbuster bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Gypsy King's father, John, has insisted the Briton remains committed to the sport.
Fury was unconvincing during his recent victory over Francis Ngannou, having been downed in round three of that fight.
He eventually won via split decision but many have condemned the 35-year-old for the way he performed.
Tyson Fury 'might retire' according to former boxing star George Groves
GETTY
And Groves, speaking to Boxing King Media, isn't 100 per cent sure the fight with Usyk will go ahead.
He instead expressed a belief that Fury may quit, despite the paperwork all being done.
“He might retire. It might be the last time we see him. It’s not a dig," he said.
“It makes no sense that he has a life and death fight with a cage fighter, who has been boxing for weeks, and that he had to get up off of the floor to win.
"He clearly wasn’t prepared and maybe he’d done a bit of training, but he hadn’t done any real training, any competitive training, his mindset was not there.
"People have said time and time again that when people doubt Fury, that’s when he rises to the occasion and he has proven that in the past.
"But does he really want to do that now, at thirty-five-years-old with all the things that he has achieved?”
Groves has also told talkSPORT that he thinks Fury won't fight again.
Yet if he does, the Briton believes Ngannou will be his next opponent - instead of Usyk.
"He has got this fight looming now with Oleksandr Usyk, who I believe beats him and I thought that before seeing him fight Ngannou the other week," he said.
"It will be major prize money and massive kudos for beating that guy [Usyk], but does that outweigh the risk of losing to him and living with that after?
“I think that we are much more likely to see an Ngannou rematch, where Fury has done a bit more training than a last-man-standing fight against Usyk.”
Groves has talked up the possibility of Fury retiring before.
Earlier this month he backed Usyk to win their potential fight, while also saying Fury wasn't good enough to pose a threat.
"He tells everyone he is the Gypsy King, that he is the man, no fighter can ever beat him," he said.
"There is someone right now who can beat him and it's Usyk. A lot of people will think the same.
"He doesn't need to roll the dice and get beat off the little gap-toothed Ukrainian guy.
"He'd rather just sail off into the sunset. He is an interesting character and there are lots of avenues he can explore after boxing.
"Doors that might be shut on him or not the same if he loses to Usyk."
He added: "There is no way he didn't wake up the next morning [after the Ngannou fight] with loads of doubts.
"'Have I still got it anymore?' 'Why could I not handle this guy comfortably?'
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Tyson Fury underwhelmed the boxing world during his recent victory over Francis Ngannou
GETTY
"He might be questioning, 'do I really want to do it anymore?'
"He wasn't the 'people's champion' until after the second Denotay Wilder fight [in 2020] and he hasn't had that acid test since fighting Wilder [in 2021]. That is a long time.
"He hasn't had to work hard, hasn't had to struggle.
"Dillian Whyte didn't show up. Dereck Chisora was like a friend. It feels like a long time since he has probably been really backs against the wall.
"To roll back the clock and have that hunger still at 35, it might not be the same.
"It definitely won't be the same as going out to Germany and beating Wladimir Klitschko [in 2015]."