In a highly anticipated heavyweight match, former world champion George Groves believes Tyson Fury will return from retirement to take on Anthony Joshua.
Groves believes Fury’s announcement of retirement on Monday, after consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, is more of a negotiating ploy than a definitive decision.
“I reckon it’s a negotiation tactic, maybe it’s a mind game thing with Anthony Joshua,” Groves told SunSport.
“I mean there probably is a significant part of him that thinks, ‘Oh I want to retire.’ And he might be speaking it into existence. But I don’t think he wants to retire.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn shares similar sentiments, suggesting Fury’s retirement announcement is strategic.
“If you ever want to come back and get the max, you have to retire first, haven’t you? Someone then has to bring you out of retirement,” Hearn told iFL TV.
“I think he’ll want to fight again, I think he will get bored and he will know the British public want to see the AJ fight.”
Joshua, who recently visited Nigeria and met with President Bola Tinubu, has expressed his desire for the all-British showdown in 2025.
“Ups and downs happen, but I can’t stop now. My goal is to become a three-time world champion and face Tyson Fury in 2025,” Joshua told reporters in Lagos.
This marks Fury’s third retirement announcement, having previously stepped away from the sport in 2018 then later in 2022 before returning to defeat Derek Chisora.
The ‘Gypsy King’ retires with an impressive record of 34 victories and two defeats, both coming against Usyk, while never suffering a knockout loss throughout his career.
Groves, who retired in 2018 as super-middleweight world champion, even predicted that the two British heavyweights could become friends after eventually settling their differences in the ring.
“I bet you, if they do box they’ll be cuddling each other after,” the former champion added.
