29 October 2023 , 15:27
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Former world champions George Groves and Carl Froch believe that Tyson Fury could hang up his gloves after being taken to a razor-close decision by Francis Ngannou last night.
The lineal heavyweight champion took on debuting MMA champion Ngannou in a Saudi Arabian crossover fight last night, but was dropped and cut on route to a split decision, which was decided by one point on one scorecard. And at the age of 35 with a nine-figure net worth, Froch and Groves wonder if it is time for the Brit to call it a day.
Fury had already announced before even stepping foot in the ring with Ngannou that he would be fighting Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title, with a date as soon as December 23 touted. But that has been officially pushed back after he found himself in a much harder fight than planned at the launch of the Riyadh Season.
Speaking on their TalkSport Boxing show, Groves asked Froch if he feels that could be the last time Fury is seen in a ring, to which 'The Cobra' responded that it could potentially be it. "I'm not sure if he'll ever box again, I think he might sail off into the sunset," Groves said. "He will have got paid a lot of money."
Froch then noted that there is even more money on offer - a fee believed to take his earnings between both Saudi fights over £100million - if he fights Usyk. But Groves felt it was more than he needs, adding: "If he loses then is that more hurtful to him than missing out on a mega payday?"
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The pair then noted that when they first fought at the Manchester Arena and Groves was stopped prematurely, Froch felt as though he had lost despite being crowned winner. They ended up having to do a rematch, which famously sold out Wembley Stadium in 2014.
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"In my head I needed the rematch," Froch explained. "I had to put the record straight, and I think Tyson Fury's head will hit the pillow after that Ngannou fight and he'll be thinking to himself 'can I retire on the back of that? I've just been gifted a decision here'. Ngannou got robbed, is that it? Is that his legacy?
"What's he got? A win against Klitschko, two wins against Deontay Wilder. Alright he's beat people on the way through and that but there's no standout names on his record. I know he can only beat who's in front of him but he's got to fight Usyk to cement his legacy and confirm he was the best heavyweight of his era.
"Is he going to want to retire on the back of an Ngannou robbery? Because that's what 99 percent of people on social media are saying now. They're saying it was a robbery."