Tyson Fury has discussed why his retirement was short lived as he prepares for battle with Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on December 17.
Despite fans being disappointed with the choice of opponent for Fury as many were hoping to see the long-awaited match up with Anthony Joshua, the ‘comeback’ means a lot more to ‘The Gypsy King’.
Fury announced his departure from the sport earlier this year, but explained to Good Morning Britain the affect it had on his mental health was similar to the dark, lonely place that he found himself in back in 2016 and 2017.
“When I retired back in April, I really really meant it. I didn’t want to continue to box, but it was like I was at my lowest moment again, taking me back to like 2016-2017 where I was in a dark, lonely place. I thought to myself, I’m not ready to go back here yet, I need to go back to fight.”
The WBC World Champion has been open about the struggles he faced earlier in his career – including battles with alcohol and depression – which saw him out of the ring for around two and a half years.
However, in a much better place now, many fans doubted how long Fury’s most recent retirement would last when it was announced after his knockout win over Dillian Whyte, so it was not a surprise to see his return announced. However, he went on to speak about what will happen when he does eventually have to hang up the gloves.
“There’s definitely going to be a moment very very shortly where there’s no more boxing and I do have to retire and I’m hoping that there’s a doctor out there somewhere that can help me onto the next level of my life.”
Whilst that final fight comes for all boxers, fans can be glad of Fury’s presence in the sport just now and hope that he copes with what comes after well. He faces Chisora on December 3, live on BT Sport Box Office.