‘Last dance?’ Wladimir Klitschko admits he considered coming out of retirement to fight Tyson Fury

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Wladimir Klitschko has revealed he was half-tempted to offer out the retiring Tyson Fury for one more fight, over six years after they were originally slated to hold their rematch encounter.

It was Fury who ended ten years of dominance in the heavyweight category by Klitschko, with a UD victory for the Gypsy King coming in late 2015.

A contract clause meant the pair were then due to have a rematch the during following calendar year, but it was twice delayed and eventually cancelled after Fury suffered first injury and then illness, with depression a factor.

Ultimately, a second meeting between the pair never happened and Klitschko retired in 2017, following a TKO defeat to Anthony Joshua.

Now, following Fury’s own decision to retire after beating Dillian Whyte in April, the Ukrainian - clearly half-joking - suggested that he was considering a social media call to arms to see the long-overdue rematch take place.

“I was thinking I should tweet Tyson Fury – ‘Last dance?’,” he said on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show. “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 and brother Vitali enlisted in the Ukrainian reserve army in February when Russia invaded their homeland.

Wladimir has also hinted again recently that he would be prepared to make a comeback to the sport, with George Foreman’s record in his sights. Foreman won a world heavyweight championship fight at the age of 46 years and 169 days, the oldest-ever title-winner in the weight class.

Klitschko turned 46 in March, meaning he would reach that age threshold in mid-September 2022.

Fury has claimed he is “enjoying” retirement, with no plans to reverse that decision, though the WBC have not yet received confirmation that he intends to relinquish his titles, which would be required were he to depart the sport.

His coach says he is still in training despite announcing his retirement, while promoter Eddie Hearn has continued to predict that Fury will fight the winner of the Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch, slated for December.