Tyson Fury's plan to retire after his victory over Dillian Whyte has been compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov's when he quit the UFC in 2020.
The 'Gypsy King' was successful in his latest title defence against Whyte at Wembley Stadium, ending the contest with a brutal uppercut in the sixth round. He confirmed his plan to retire from boxing immediately after the victory which would rule out any undisputed shot against the winner of Anthony Joshua's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes Fury could be plotting a huge comeback fight which he has claimed would be the biggest of the champion's career. "Well, I guess Tyson Fury ’s done," Sonnen said during a video on his YouTube channel. "He says that he’s retiring from boxing. And I've got to tell you, you’ll never have a bigger fight than your comeback fight.
"Not your first main event fight, not your first televised fight, not even a title fight. Your biggest fight will be a comeback fight. You cannot have a comeback fight unless you leave first. But there’s something about the way that Fury is going out and there’s also something about the way that Fury has lived his life that just reminds me of Khabib.
"You can just take certain people at their word, right? It’s different for them, their word is their bound type. Everybody has the right to change their mind. Khabib could come back, you don’t call him a liar.”
Nurmagomedov retired with an undefeated record after submitting Justin Gaethje in his third consecutive lightweight title defence in 2020. The Russian star has continuously been questioned over a comeback fight which he has always dismissed, despite UFC president Dana White's attempts to tempt him into a rematch with Conor McGregor.
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Fury previously heaped praise on Nurmagomedov's undefeated career and retirement with a tribute on social media in the build-up to his win over Whyte. This sparked a feud with McGregor who was unhappy with Fury's praise of his bitter rival.
The 'Gypsy King' declared his retirement in the ring at Wembley Stadium before making an immediate U-turn and planning to meet UFC star Francis Ngannou in a crossover bout next year. His wife Paris also appeared to hint he may continue after mouthing "no chance" during an assessment of his future.
She also believes Fury could be enticed back into the ring by a possible unification bout if Joshua is to prevail in a sequel with Usyk later this year. She told BT Sport : "He has nothing left to prove - that's the thing, if he had anything left to do I would say Tyson, you do it. Unless he really wants to box on - for fame or money or whatever - he doesn't need that.
"I know in my heart that the only reason Tyson would come back is for a unification fight and that would be the only reason. He has nothing left to prove."
