Neil Warnock mocks Tyson Fury’s boxing retirement claim with 16-word jab – after the Gypsy King announced he is stepping away for a FIFTH time

Neil Warnock has never been far from making a wisecrack and on this occasion Tyson Fury is on the receiving end. 

On Monday Fury announced that he is retiring from boxing, thwarting hopes of a blockbuster clash with Anthony Joshua at Wembley this year. 

It comes less than a month after he lost again to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia, claiming he was ‘robbed’ in their WBO, WBA and WBC heavyweight title rematch.

This is the fifth time that the Gypsy King has said he is retiring, with the first coming in Nvember 2013, and on the first four occasions he has returned. 

And Warnock, who managed 18 different clubs in a sprawling career,  with two jobs coming after he announced his retirement in ‘2022’, has teased the 36-year-old.

‘Only a few more retirements to go to catch me up, are you after my record?’ he wrote on X with a laughing face emoji as he shared Fury’s announcement video. 

Warnock holds the record for most promotions (eight) and most games managed (1626) in English league football. He took up Scarborough, Notts County, Huddersfield, Plymouth, Sheffield United, QPR, and Cardiff in a long career.  

Fury’s 17-second video came as a great shock to fans on Monday, even though he had hinted that he could step away in the wake of his latest defeat by Usyk. 

‘Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,’ he said in a clip he shared to social media. ‘I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it.

‘I’m going to end with this… Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. GET UP!’

Some are questioning whether it is genuine, given the Gypsy King has previously retired from the sport.

Back in 2022, Fury revealed he was ‘done’ with boxing after beating Dillian Whyte, only to return at the end of the year after six months to fight Derek Chisora.

After beating Whyte, Fury had said: ‘I am done. Every good dog has its day. Like the great Roman leader said, there will always be someone else to fight. When is enough, enough?

‘I am happy, I am healthy. I still have my brains, I can talk, I have a beautiful wife, I have six kids, umpteen belts.

‘I have plenty of money, success, fame, glory, what more am I doing it for? This is definitely the end of the Gypsy King and I went out with a bang.’

Fury defeated Chisora by TKO before he then beat former MMA star Francis Ngannou via a controversial split decision.

This set up a showdown with Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia, but Fury was forced to pull out of the original date in December 2023 due to his bout with Ngannou.

It was then delayed further due after the Gypsy King suffered a nasty cut above his eye, before the rivals finally took to the ring in May 2024.

Fury lost the first bout via split decision, which was the first defeat of his professional career, before a rematch was arranged.

However, despite an impressive display, Fury lost again, with this defeat coming via unanimous decision.

The 36-year-old, who is a larger-than-life character, had been expected to return to the ring this year in a blockbuster showdown against long-time rival Joshua.

The two British heavyweights have shared a long-running and bitter rivalry over the years, with constant speculation at times that a highly-anticipated fight between them will finally take place.

Yet, despite strong public support for a bout and significant conjecture and negotiations, a showdown has never materialised.

Earlier this month, rumours circulated on social media that a fight had finally been agreed between AJ and Fury in what would be dubbed as ‘The Battle of Britain’ and arguably the biggest fight in British boxing history.

Joshua had declared a fight with Fury ‘had to happen’ this year, while Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh similarly outlined his support for the showdown.

Joshua had given further credence to the fight a few weeks ago when he said: ‘2025, I am targeting Tyson Fury.’

Earlier on Monday, Eddie Hearn revealed he had booked out Wembley Stadium for the fight to potentially take place in ‘May or June’, but admitted it all comes down to whether Fury wanted it after the defeat by Usyk.

‘Yes. We’re looking to get back in the ring in May or June. If it ended up being July, it doesn’t really matter,’ Hearn said at the Ring Awards when asked if he has booked in a Wembley date.

‘I still think it rests on Tyson Fury. Until the water settles on the defeat and where he’s at mentally and what he wants to do, that’s where we’re really going to find out.

‘Because when he looks at the options, what else is he going to do and who else is he going to fight?’