TYSON FURY has been set a deadline by the WBC to confirm his retirement or else be stripped of his championship belt.
Fury first announced he was walking away from boxing in April after knocking out Dillian Whyte at Wembley.
But he remaines linked with a fight against either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk, who rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Fury, 34, even claimed he was coming back to face Derek Chisora, 38, in an unlikely trilogy bout, despite his prior wins in 2011 and 2014.
Although just two days later, Fury spoke out to say he was retiring for good and even vacated his Ring Magazine belt after doing so.
He is yet to do the same with his WBC title but has until August 26 to notify the governing body of his decision.
READ MORE IN BOXING
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk free bets and sign up offers for Saudi rematch
‘Insecure’ Fury accused of trying to take ‘spotlight’ away from Joshua vs Usyk
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Izquierdazo: "We had a conversation with his promoter and we gave him ten days, until 26th (August), so they can send us a written confirmation of his final decision.
"With that, we can proceed to address the situation with the belt. We will wait until August 26th.
"That is our deadline to have a formal confirmation of their final decision.
"We have no rush. He has been a big hero inside the ring and out of it."
Most read in Boxing
Date & live stream details for massive heavyweight rematch in Saudi Arabia
AJ reveals only reason he lost to Usyk is due to his rival being southpaw
Tyson gives prediction for AJ vs Usyk & reveals what Brit MUST do to win
AJ reveals respect for Usyk for defending Ukraine ahead of desert dust-up
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Sulaiman added: "If he confirms his retirement, we will have a big celebration for Tyson Fury.
"He decided to say goodbye to boxing, despite being in the peak of his career.
"He has a beautiful family, he is enjoying life, and he still has a lot to give inside the ring and out of it."
Joshua, 32, rematches Usyk, 35, on Saturday in Saudi Arabia following his loss last September.
Both Fury's promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have said their man will await the winner before returning.
And Warren recently told talkSPORT: “At the end of the day, if that’s what he wants to do, that’s his right to do it.
“You know, he was actually looking forward to fighting last week, he was actually talking about fighting but that’s how he feels at the moment.
"If that’s how he feels, that’s how it is, we’ve all got to support what he’s doing.
🥊 AJ vs Usyk 2 date, live stream and TV channel for blockbuster rematch
“I spoke to him a few times last week and he told me he’s weighing exactly what he was weighing for his last fight against Dillian Whyte – that’s how hard he’s training.”
Ahead of AJ's rematch with Usyk, Warren added: “Whoever wins that fight, everyone will want to see him fight Tyson.
"If Tyson wants to do it, he will. If he doesn’t, he won’t.”
Source: Read Full Article
