Tyson Fury has admitted he will need "mental help" when he actually quits boxing after a short-lived retirement following his win over Dillian Whyte earlier this year.
The world heavyweight champion has declared he "doesn't have any goals or ambitions" left in the sport, but can't quit altogether due to his love of fighting. He comes from a family of boxers which includes dad John, uncle Peter, cousin Hughie and brother Tommy as well as uncle Bartley Gorman who was a bare-knuckle legend, and has been around the ring his whole life.
He hit his lowest ebb mentally during a three year absence from 2015 to 2018 after winning the world title from Wladimir Klitschko in Germany, before losing over 100lb and getting back in shape to dethrone Deontay Wilder in 2020. He claimed earlier this year that he was retiring after defending his belt for a second time against Whyte, but is already talking about two upcoming fights.
He appears set to face Derek Chisora on December 3 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, before moving on to an undisputed title fight against Oleksandr Usyk next year. And even then, there will be other options in the running should he win those two bouts, including Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce and even a fourth clash with Wilder.
"Growing up looking at the likes of Ali, Foreman, Ray Robinson, Frazier, all these guys they all go on way too late well on into their 30s and 40s or whatever," he told Behind The Gloves. "They always wind up losing a bunch of fights like Roy Jones, James Toney, everybody and I would always think as a kid 'why did they go on this way?' They won all the belts, had plenty of money and done all they wanted.
"Now I know, it's because there's nothing out there in the world that can even come close to preparing for another athlete that can punch your face in. You know it's going to happen on a certain date and you're preparing for that date, gearing up for it. You're training in the gym, sweating, getting sparred, punched in the face.
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"You're putting all your eggs in one basket and your mindset is on this goal and you've been doing that for so many years. I was away for four months and I can't walk away, and maybe there's somebody out there like a doctor or a psychologist or somebody that could really help me because I think I'm going to need mental help to let go of this thing."
Fury is one of British sport's most outspoken advocates for men's mental health, and has used his journey from suicide attempts and weight gain to inspire countless people around the country. And he continues to be open about his struggles even after returning to the summit of his profession.
"Really, if you asked me today 'what is it that you're boxing for?' I don't have any goals or ambition to box," he added. "I'm boxing because I feel like I need to box within me to keep me sane. It's sanity, I'm fighting for survival every day, and maybe there is another person out there who can help me on to the next stage of my career."
