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sports Dialuna 25 aPRil 2022

‘Unbeatable’ Fury determined to stick to retirement pledge

(AP) — Sitting in noth- is retiring as “the best heavy- kids.
ing but some tight-fit- weight there has ever been.”
ting shorts, Tyson Fury Yet he was persuaded to get
grabbed the flabby part of Could Fury really turn down back in the ring for a home-
his belly and started shak- the chance of holding all the coming fight against Whyte
ing it. heavyweight titles and be- in front of the biggest ever
coming undisputed champi- crowd for a boxing bout in
“I’m a normal-looking man,” on of the world? He has held Britain.
he said, “an average Joe.” each of the belts at some stage
of his 14-year pro career — With a 32nd victory in the
No one quite mixes self-dep- either side of a 3½-year break bag, completed Saturday
recation with self-promotion when he dealt with issues of with a vicious uppercut that
quite like this world heavy- mental health, drug use and sent Whyte to the canvas, he
weight champion. depression during which he gave his U.K. fans a walk-
tried to kill himself — but away knockout to remember
After all, moments earlier, never at the same time. him by.
Fury had reeled off all the ti-
tles he had won in a turbulent Beating the winner of the If this is it for the towering out with some homophobic skilled boxer, from a blood-
and headline-making boxing rematch between Oleksandr Fury — and it still seems hard and misogynistic comments line of bare-knuckle cham-
career that he might just have Usyk, the reigning WBA, to believe we’ve seen the last that saw him get heavily criti- pions.
brought to an end with a bru- IBF and WBO title-holder, of him — it was quite the ca- cized in Britain at a time he
tal sixth-round stoppage of and Anthony Joshua in a reer, in and out of the ring. thought he should be treated “There ain’t ever been any-
fellow Briton Dillian Whyte highly lucrative, legacy-de- like a king after dethroning one who could beat me,”
in front of 94,000 fans at fining fight would surely be Ending Wladimir Klitschko’s Klitschko. There was a back- the self-styled Gypsy King
London’s Wembley Stadium. the ultimate way to bow out. decade-long run as champ in dated two-year doping ban said. “You know why? My
2015 in the Ukrainian’s box- for having elevated levels of 6-foot-9 frame, 270-pound
“I’m very proud I’ve won two Not according to Fury. ing backyard of Dusseldorf nandrolone in urine samples weight, can move like a
English titles, two British was the night he announced provided after fighting in middleweight, can hit like a
titles, two Commonwealth “I’ve fulfilled everything I’ve himself to the world. But 2015. thunderstorm and can take
titles, the Irish title, the Eu- ever wanted to fulfil,” he it was the Wilder trilogy in a punch like anybody else.
ropean title, WBO intercon- said. “I’m going to retire as the U.S., when he mixed his Others, though, prefer to see I’ve got … the heart of a lion,
tinental, WBO international, only the second heavyweight styles from a back-foot, prag- him as an icon for coming the mindset of the Wizard of
WBO super, WBA super, in history, after Rocky Mar- matic boxer to an aggressive, back from the brink — he Oz.”
IBF, IBO, Ring Magazine, ciano, to retire undefeated. in-your-face approach, that ballooned in weight, became
lineal, WBC — I’ve won ev- really cemented his status as a drug user, drank heavily Fury says he could next be
ery belt there is to win. There “I was unbeatable at this the best heavyweight of the and said he attempted to kill seen competing at a WWE
isn’t more to do,” he said in game.” past decade. himself after capturing the event. He teased a potential
the bowels of England’s na- world heavyweight title for hybrid exhibition fight with
tional soccer stadium. The 33-year-old Fury said His links to Daniel Kina- the first time — and becom- UFC heavyweight champion
he gave his word to his wife, han, named by U.S. authori- ing the No. 1 heavyweight. Francis Ngannou.
“If this was a computer game, Paris, that he would quit after ties this month as one of the
it definitely would be com- completing his sensational heads of an organized crime He is also a born entertainer, More would want to see him
pleted.” trilogy of fights with Deontay gang involved in interna- singing in the ring after his fight Usyk or Joshua, though.
Wilder with a victory in Las tional drug-trafficking op- fights and even attending a
Not quite, though. There is Vegas in October. He wanted erations and firearm offenses, press conference dressed as “I’ve given everything … and
one final level that might, in to go out unhurt, unbeaten have dogged him in recent Batman. put it on the line every single
the coming days, start to nag and on his own terms, and years, especially ahead of the time,” Fury said, “but enough
away at the man who says he spend more time with his six Whyte fight. He has come Most of all, he is a seriously is enough.”

Keselowski looks to defend Talladega win, save his season

(AP) — The winningest last year’s victory. reach, well, Keselowski won’t are likely at Daytona or Tal- to extend his streak of playoff
active driver at Talladega hold back in search of his first ladega. appearances to nine consecu-
Superspeedway just might Brad Keselowski isn’t bank- victory since leaving Team tive years.
be able to save his season ing on a seventh Talladega Penske for an ownership Keselowski and teammate
on Sunday by defending win, though. But if it’s in stake at RFK Racing. Chris Buescher each won a “I think there’s probably a
qualifying race at Daytona little bit of truth to that, but
“We’ve got a great shot,” Ke- International Speedway in honestly I’m looking at the
selowski said. “If we’re any- February, but the RFK orga- next month and I’m really
where close, I’m going to nization has not won a Cup excited about the races we
leave it all out on the line.” points race since 2017. The have,” Keselowski said. “I
team won twice that year — think we can win any one of
A penalty for illegal modifica- both races on a superspeed- them. We’ve got a lot of good
tions made to the No. 6 Ford way, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stuff coming down the pipe-
has devastated Keselowski’s sweeping the two stops at the line. We’re starting to figure
first season as a driver-owner Alabama track when the team some things out and find
and knocked him to bottom was known as Roush Fenway some of the missing puzzle
of the Cup standings, low- Racing. pieces, so I’m not ready to say
er than any other full-time that we have to win on a (su-
driver. It took him a month The organization has not perspeedway) to advance to
to climb from 35th in points won on any type of track be- the playoffs.
to 30th — a mark he hit last sides a superspeedway since a
week at Bristol that makes 2014 win by Carl Edwards at “I feel like we’re starting to
him eligible for the playoffs Sonoma. find our game at other tracks,
should he win a race. too. We have lot more con-
So the speedway races seem fidence in the cars, and the
His best chances at victory to be Keselowski’s best shot team is learning a lot.”