Wladimir Klitschko Considered Coming Out Of Retirement To Face Tyson Fury In 'Last Dance' Rematch

Wladimir Klitschko says he had considered coming out of retirement to face Tyson Fury in a rematch before the 'Gypsy King' called time on his career.

Fury first became undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by beating Klitschko back in 2015.

A clause in the contract for that fight meant the pair were due to have a rematch the following year.

However, the bout was delayed twice and eventually cancelled, with Fury going on to relinquish his world titles after struggling with injuries and depression.

A rematch between Fury and Klitschko failed to materialise further down the line, with the Ukrainian later retiring after a TKO loss to Anthony Joshua in 2017.

Fury announced his own retirement last month after defeating Dillian Whyte in their sell-out fight at Wembley.

And Klitschko has now revealed he came close to calling out Fury before the fight.

"I was thinking I should tweet Tyson Fury – 'Last dance?'," he said on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show.

Klitschko was originally due to face Fury in a rematch in 2016 (Image: PA)

"Break the record and become the oldest heavyweight champion after George Foreman.

"Since he wants to retire and we were supposed to have this rematch. I didn’t do it because my mind was now in a totally different world.

"But after getting the news that he defended the title, and he's retiring. I wish him the best, but I was really thinking I should send this [tweet]!"

Klitschko is considering returning to boxing at the age of 46 (Image: PA)

For now, Klitschko's focus remains on defending his homeland.

The 46-year-old signed up for the Ukrainian reserve army in February alongside fellow boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko after Russia invaded its neighbour.

Should he eventually return to professional boxing, Klitschko will have George Foreman's record in his sights.

Fury announced his retirement after beating Whyte in April (Image: PA)

The American became the oldest man to win a world heavyweight title fight when he beat Axel Schulz to retain his IBF belt in 1995 at the age of 46 years and 169 days.

Fury, meanwhile, insists he is fully enjoying retirement and has no plans to reverse his decision.

However, the WBC have not yet received confirmed that he plans to relinquish his world title, leading to speculation Fury is not yet done with the sport.

Topics: Boxing, Heavyweight Boxing, Wladimir Klitschko, Tyson Fury

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan