-Credit:PA
Tyson Fury has been tipped to remain in the boxing world after announcing his retirement from the sport on Monday.
Former heavyweight champion Fury, 36, suffered a unanimous decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December, seven months after losing a first bout against the Ukrainian.
The Brit had been expected to finally agree a highly-anticipated clash with long-standing heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua.
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But a bout between the pair seems unlikely after Fury announced his retirement from the sport for the second time on Monday.
“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” said Fury. “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”
Now, as fans speculate Fury’s next career move, fans quotes from his long-term strength and conditioning coach, Kristian Blacklock, have resurfaced.
In December, Blackstock, part of Fury’s team for over a decade, said he “can’t imagine” the 36-year-old ever completely leaving the sport as he backed the former heavyweight champion for a career in coaching or punditry.
“I can’t imagine him ever being completely outside of boxing; it could be in so many different ways,” Blacklock told SPORTbible in December.
“He’s a very intelligent guy, especially with the boxing, his knowledge is unbelievable with the boxing.
“He could be anything from a commentator to a coach, he could go into management, he could do anything he wanted to really.
“But he doesn’t have to [work again]. Obviously, he has had a very successful career. He’s got himself into a position where he could pick and choose what he does after boxing.”
However, one thing that Blackstock has ruled out for the meantime is Fury venturing into the world of MMA.
“I can’t see it,” added Blacklock. “Maybe some sort of exhibition in the future, I don’t know. I can’t see Tyson having an MMA fight in the near future, but you just never know, do you?
“That’s obviously something for him to decide if it’s offered. But Tyson’s a boxer, he’s not an MMA fighter, and he’s never trained specifically in MMA. But who knows?”