World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will never fight again and should be stripped of his world heavyweight titles, leading British promoter Eddie Hearn has said.
Fury has withdrawn from his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, scheduled for October 29, because of reported mental health issues, the BBC reports.
But governing bodies the WBA and WBO are entitled to take away Fury’s belts as the 28-year-old, who has not fought since beating Klitschko last November, already rescheduled the fight once from the original July date because of an ankle injury.
Hearn said:
I don’t believe he will fight again. I believe Tyson Fury will be stripped of all his titles.
They could be put into recess, which I think they will do, which is the same thing.
It’s not a case of ‘Oh, that’s a bit harsh given his problems’.
This is a business for the governing bodies as well, and they’ve had enough.
The world heavyweight title is a huge part of the governing bodies’ business — they are suffering.
Hearn, who does not promote Fury, says the governing bodies are within their rights to take away Fury’s belts because he postponed his rematch with Klitschko.
He added that Fury looked ‘out of shape’ when he saw him at Manchester Arena on Saturday night, supporting his cousin Hosea Burton on the undercard of Jorge Linares’ win over Anthony Crolla.
He said: “He got booed after the Burton fight. His credibility is at rock bottom.”
Hearn also blames Fury’s team for not looking after him properly and doubts the unbeaten ‘Traveller’ will ever be back in the ring, saying:
Fury will be stripped of his titles and, after a legal battle, he’ll say: ‘No more, I’m done’
It’s going to be really messy and it might take a year to resolve. I know there are sensitivities around mental health issues but this is a business.
The governing bodies have had enough. The world heavyweight title is a huge part of their business and they’ve not made any money from it for a year.
So is this the end of the line for Fury?
