WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has outlined his thoughts on Tyson Fury’s future as the heavyweight king insists he is retired.
Anthony Joshua ’s promoter Eddie Hearn believes Fury will want to fight the winner of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight title. The winner of the undisputed title would make history as the first heavyweight to hold all four major belts.
Fury already holds the WBC crown and Sulaiman admits he would love to see him become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis over 20 years ago. Sulaiman says Fury is good enough at 33 to carry on at the top for a few more years.
“He’s no mandatory so a unification would be tremendous, to have him undisputed, that would be a great recognition to his career and that’s what matters,” he said. “The WBC stood by him in the difficult times. We have seen him come into the glory and we are with him.
“I think he’s the best heavyweight. There’s no-one who can get close to him at this point. He could go on fighting without a doubt for a couple of years at the top and I love to see him fight, but if he decides to retire I respect that.”
Fury has yet to vacate the WBC belt, despite claiming he has quit and Sulaiman says the WBC will not put him under any pressure. Dillian Whyte was the WBC’s mandatory challenger so there is no time pressure on Fury to make a decision.
Sulaiman claims he will respect the Gyspy King if he decides to go out at the top as the first unbeaten world heavyweight champion since Rocky Marciano in the 1950s. “There’s no specific period of time,” he told BoxingScene.com. “I spoke to him this week, he’s on holiday, looking great and we’re going to talk in a few days and we are going to 100 percent support whatever is his decision.
“If he decides to retire from boxing, that’s a dream come true because to retire at the top with money, with health, with family, with a brilliant future doing things, that’s a dream for an administrator like me.
“My father always suffered to see great fighters falling into the trap of fame and glory and all that comes from that and then end up in a bad situation, so if he makes a statement and is a role model, we will support him. If he wants to continue fighting, we will support him as well.”
Many fans believe Fury will fight again and his dad, John, fuelled that belief when he narrated some video footage of him training. John said in the video: “He can’t stop training this man, he can’t get enough of it.” Fury, who has just returned with his dad from a family holiday to the South of France, played down talk of him fighting on, claiming he was only training to keep mentally and physically fit.
He said on Instagram : “Yes, training daily, but just to keep my weight down and for my mental health.”
