Fury also revealed when he will decide to hang up the gloves
TYSON FURY will not risk brain damage for the sake of Oleksandr Usyk revenge.
In another iconic bout for modern heavyweight times, the 35-year-old Gypsy King slugged out a 12-round classic with the Ukraine legend on Saturday night.
Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury via split decision on Saturday nightCredit: PA
Anthony Joshua watched the fight from ringside – and could turn out to be Fury’s next opponentCredit: Getty
Fury will now look to lick his wounds following the defeat with the Gypsy King looking badly beatenCredit: Getty
The giant Brit lost his WBC crown in a blaze of glory, climbing off the deck in round nine when a normal human being would have quit.
An October rematch is written in the mega-money contract and is likely to be similar to the £115million they just split.
But Fury – who has the carrot of an Anthony Joshua mega-fight dangling over his bruised face – admits he will not be strong-armed into the rerun to put his life at stake.
Despite saying in the ring immediately after the fight “I am ready for a rematch”, Fury then appeared to row back on committing to another dust up with Usyk.
The battered beanpole said: “You can see my face, it’s pretty busted up and he’s busted too.
“We punched f**** out of each other for 12 rounds.
“I’m going to go home, drink some food, drink some beers, have some family time, walk the dog, go to the tip and me and Frank Warren will discuss the future.
“If there’s going to be another fight, I think they’re talking about October, then we’ll rock and roll.
“I’m not boxing because I’ve got no money, I’m boxing because I love it.
“I’m 36 in a few months, I’ve been boxing since I was a child. Where does it all end?
TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK AS IT HAPPENED: RELIVE ALL THE ACTION FROM THE UNDISPUTED WORLD TITLE THRILLER
“You have 100 fights and you have brain damage and are in a wheelchair?
“For as long as I’m loving the game, I’ll continue to do it, and when I don’t, I’ll pack it up.”
Promoter Frank Warren was proud of his man for climbing off the canvas and pushing the fight all the way to the scorecards.
And his duty is now to offer the former champion every option available and that includes bypassing the rematch and offering a mega-money Joshua bout that could top £200m and be the biggest fight in British boxing history.
Fans remain desperate to see him fight AJ, who was ringside for the fight, after years of back and forth between the leading Brit heavyweights.
Fighting Joshua, who himself was beaten twice by Usyk, would arguably be a less punishing fight for Fury should he wish to take an easier path.
And it sounds like Fury might be questioning his corner of attention-loving dad John and American Sugarhill Steward, after they apparently failed to warn Fury that his undefeated record and WBC title were on the line.
After losing a split decision, he said: “I’m not a judge and I can’t judge a fight while I’m boxing it.
“If they’d said to me before the last round that I was down I would have gone and tried to finish it but everyone in the corner believed we were up.
“All I had to do was just keep boxing and keep doing what I was doing and I was getting it.
“I’m not going to cry about it, i’ve had plenty of victories.
“I was having a lot of fun, i was playing around, I had my hands around my back, i was enjoying it.”