Tyson Fury says professional boxing is over but refuses to rule out returning for exhibition matches

Heavy weight boxer Tyson Fury has revealed plans to return to the ring - less than two months after retiring from the sport.

Fury says he would love to fight Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis or even Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in exhibition fights but dismissed rumours of a potential Anthony Joshua match-up.

The boxer, who lives in Morcambe in Lancashire and who never lost a fight, retired after his knockout win over Dillian Whyte in April and rubbished rumours of a bout against the winner of Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Fury said he is shifting his focus to exhibition bouts and a speaking tour that will kick off with a series of British dates this month.

"You’re not there to win or lose, you’re there to enjoy, have a good time and put on a show for the fans,” he said, explaining what he means by exhibition fights.

"I’m looking at fighting Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, whoever, ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson, that would be fantastic, you never know who you could be fighting in one of these shows."

The Sun reported on Wednesday that Fury, could be in line for a £200 million payout to return to the ring.

Asked if that is the kind of figure Fury would be looking for, he joked: “That’s not a bad start is it, that will definitely get me a free holiday.”

He added he told boxing promoter Frank Warren to “show me the money.”

However, he repeatedly denied there are plans afoot to fight either Joshua or Usyk in December.

“Absolute nonsense, as far as I’m concerned I’m very happily retired [from professional boxing],” he said.

“Never say never, but as far as I’m concerned me and professional boxing are absolutely caput.”

Talking about what he calls his “afterparty tour”, in which he will go around various venues around the country to speak to fans and tell his story, he said he hopes it can offer mental health support.

Fury, who has himself struggled with mental health in recent years and was at an all-time low before making a sensational return against Deontay Wilder in 2018, said he hopes it can lift people.

“This tour is going to be an excellent opportunity for people to come, hear the story if they haven’t already heard it, speak to me in person, ask questions,” he said.

“This tour is an afterparty, fantastic, but it’s also a way of me communicating my story across to people in order that they may be helped also.

“There might be someone in that room in a given moment who are suffering very much and don’t know where to go, who to speak to, and one sentence, one word maybe [could] help them, maybe send them to a doctor to get medical help - and that person’s life would be saved.”

After his interview on Good Morning Britain, Fury tweeted just what what it would take to make him consider coming out of retirement.