Manchester boxer Tyson Fury has seemingly confirmed he is retiring from boxing once again for the third time?… We’re not even sure at this point.
The Wythenshawe-born juggernaut of the heavyweight division lost consecutive fights for the first time in his career following the defeat in a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk back in December 2024 and, for all intents and purposes, it looks like they may have been his final professional fight.
Having first argued that the judges favoured Usyk in the first fight due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine; Fury once again believed the decision was unfair in the second bout but, either way, he claims that the Riyadh Season showdown was his last appearance in the ring.
Taking to social media on Monday, 13 January, the 36-year-old said he wanted to keep the announcement “short and sweet”, proceeding to announce his retirement from boxing to nearly seven million followers on Instagram along with a somewhat cryptic message for them to take away with them.
If all is to be believed at this point, he seemed pretty positive and nonchalant about the whole thing. He proceeded to state that he’s “loved every single minute” of his career, adding “God bless, everybody and I’ll see you on the other side.”
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There wasn’t too much to read into with his caption either, which simply read: “Thanks, it’s been a blast. Thanks to everyone who helped out along the way! Happy New Year. Jesus is king now and forever”.
However, it was the penultimate line with which he signed off that has raised an eyebrow among a lot of those reacting to the news online, as he referenced infamous highwayman and thief, Dick Turpin, who famously wore a mask to conceal his crimes during the 18th century. Interesting indeed.
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People online have been speculating plenty around exactly what he might have meant with this mysterious remark but many that it could just be another nod towards the belief that he was ‘robbed’ of a victory in Fury vs Usyk 2, having claimed the latter was given an “early Christmas gift.”
Regardless, plenty are expecting it won’t be long before Fury comes back out of retirement to lace his gloves back the very second the right offer comes in for him to finally fight Anthony Joshua, even if both of them aren’t quite the dominant name they once were when the face-off was first floated.
Most crucially, the general consensus is that Tyson Fury isn’t really retiring because this, of course, isn’t the first time he’s claimed he was calling it a day.
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‘The Gypsy King’ famously ‘retired’ for the first first time over a decade ago after the plans for his fight against David Haye fell apart for the second time back in 2013, making the announcement with nothing more than a few dismissive words on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Then, in 2017, we did the dance all over again after a string of teases and ‘pranks’ towards the end of 2016 which culminated in him writing in a since-deleted post: “Been very blessed in my life & career achieve the utmost in boxing, was a epic journey along the way.
“Thanks to all the fans that supported & believed in me along the way. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. THE END.” But it obviously wasn’t the end…
He was back in the ring by 2018 and Fury went on to declare that his 2022 win over Dillian Whyte was his farewell fight before going on to fight Derek Chisora just six months later.
You can see how people have trouble believing that it’s for real, right?
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Whether or not he is being serious this time, only time will tell but one thing is for sure is that fans would still love to see him and AJ come up against each other if a fight contract were to materialise after all this time – especially as they both have a point to prove given their recent respective records.
As for Fury, one clip that came back to haunt him in the wake of the rematch against Usyk will remain a lasting memory for many of those who have followed his career from the start to now:
Featured Images – Tyson Fury (screenshot via Instagram)/Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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Manchester United announce signing of new women’s striker Lea Schüller
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women have revealed another new player, officially announcing the signing of German striker Lea Schüller.
The experienced forward joins the Man United women’s team from reigning Frauen-Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, having spent half a decade with the seven-time winners.
Schuller is the third deal done in just a matter of a few days, following another European international, Hanna Lundkvist, who will officially join up with the team on 1 January.
Unveiled on Monday, 29 December, the 28-year-old made more than a century of appearances for Bayern and helped them to four of those titles, as well as a Women’s DFB-Pokal German cup.
Safe to say she arrived in Manchester with a fair bit of pedigree.
Also scoring over 100 goals in her five years with the club, as well as 54 goals in 82 appearances for Germany, with whom she finished as runners-up when England defeated them in the Euro 2022 final.
Speaking in her first official club statement, Schüller said: “From the first conversations that I had with Marc and the club, the ambitions of everyone here were very clear. I still have so much that I want to achieve in my career, and I know that Manchester United is the perfect club to join.
“I feel that the team’s style of football will really suit my game; I hope my qualities and experience can help us to achieve our aims both in England and in the Champions League.”
The club is definitely having a productive recruitment period as promised, with Marc Skinner looking to bring in even more before the end of the January transfer window.
As for Schüller, she has signed a contract until June 2029, and you can expect Skinner and his coaching staff to start introducing her into their offensive line around her very soon.
Matt Johnson, Director of Women’s Football at Manchester United, went on to add: “Lea’s goalscoring record is phenomenal, her style of play will give our attack an exciting new dimension. We are delighted to add a player of her pedigree to the group.
“Lea’s winning mentality and experience will really help our young and ambitious team as we continue to grow together and compete across domestic and European competitions.”
You can see her first full interview as a Man United Women’s star down below.
The Olympic bronze medallist should contribute plenty.
VAR audio requested as Nottingham Forest prepare complaint after Man City defeat
Danny Jones
Nottingham Forest have requested that the VAR audio from their game against Manchester City be released, as they are considering launching a formal complaint following the defeat.
Forest hosted Man City at home this past weekend and went on to lose 2-1.
However, Sean Dyche’s side are said to be ‘extremely unhappy’ with some of the refereeing decisions made by first official, Rob Jones, on the day.
As a result, they are now asking the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to share some of the conversations between on-pitch officials and the VAR team at Stockley Park in West London.
"I'm scratching my head and I can't believe it!" 😳
Sean Dyche wasn't happy with the officiating in their loss to Man City 😬
As you can see, Dyche initially said that “there’s no point” in pushing the refs on their performance, as he feels they usually only “get in trouble”, but it looks as though his employers have advocated for him.
Nottingham Forest had a problem with the final call in a number of instances during the festive fixture on Saturday, 27 December, but none more so than in one key moment.
The manager and his coaching team felt that Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winner should have been cancelled out following a foul by Nico O’Reilly on Morgan Gibbs-White in the preceding corner, which may have prevented Cherki from scoring another decisive finish.
Dyche also argued that another City defender, Ruben Dias, was due a second yellow card and therefore dismissal from the pitch for a challenge after the break, but there was ultimately nothing doing.
You can see the collision here:
"I do have sympathy for Sean Dyche… it is a second yellow card!"
Ref Watch discuss whether Ruben Dias should have been sent off against Nottingham Forest. pic.twitter.com/dxTYmGsEqZ
According to Sky Sports News, Nottingham have already requested more information from the refereeing body, with this not being the first time they’ve felt hard done by.
As they put it, the hope/belief is that raising the issue could help “start a broader discussion around officiating this season.”
What do you make of Forest’s concerns against Manchester City, and do you think they’re worthy of launching an official complaint against the PGMOL and Premier League?
You can see the highlights from the game and perhaps decide for yourself down below.