By: Sean Crose

Tyson Fury certainly knows how to stir the pot. Whether he’s showing up dressed as Batman for a news conference, jumping in and out of retirement, or making outrageous statements online, the undefeated WBC and lineal heavyweight champion always finds a way to shake things up. Wednesday was no exception. “Hi, guys,” the 6’9 Englishman said in a social media post. “To all these suitors out there who want to make the fight (between himself and Oleksandr Usyk), I’m gonna give you all seven days, until the first of September, to come up with the money. If not, thank you very much, it’s been a blast, I’m retired.” The man known as “The Gyspy King” then went on to add the following: “And also, guys, I forgot to say, all them offers submitted must be to my lawyer Robert Davis, in writing with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!”

Perhaps Fury was telling the truth, but at this point, who can tell? He’s recently declared he’s retired, then declared he has a knew trainer, then asserted he’s not retired, and now is threatening retirement again…all in the course of several months. One thing is certain – the guy knows how to play mind games. Watch his one on one sit down with Wladimir Klitschko before his surprise 2015 victory over the longtime heavyweight kingpin to see how the man was able to get inside the legendary Klitchko’s head.

Usyk, however, is a quirky character himself. He’s also very, very good in the ring. What’s more, he’s the only thing standing between Fury and the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. It will presumably be very difficult for Fury to step away from an opportunity to hold “all the belts” just because a large amount of money isn’t offered to him in a week. Still, this is Fury, so it’s hard to read what the man might do or say next. One suspects he wouldn’t have it any other way.

In the summer of 2021, it looked like Fury would face Anthony Joshua for the undisputed heavyweight crown. Fury was ordered by a judge, however, to face Deontay Wilder for a third time. Fury did just that, knocking the hard hitting American out in the process. Joshua, however, went on to face Usyk, who outpointed him last September. A rematch last weekend led to another Usyk victory, which subsequently led to people now clamoring for a fight with Fury to decide who the true king of the heavyweight division is.

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