Why did Tyson Fury call out Dick Turpin in his cryptic retirement announcement?

charles curtis

Mon, 13 Jan 2025, 10:32 am·2-min read

(FILE PHOTO) Heaveyweight Boxer Tyson Fury Announces Retirement RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 15: Tyson Fury trains during the Ring Of Fire - Open Workouts session ahead of the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO Undisputed World Heavyweight Title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at BLVD City - Music World on May 15, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776084793 ORIG FILE ID: 2153130913

Tyson Fury is retiring after quite the boxing career that included bouts against names like Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder.

But his announcement is a bit of a mystery. In it, he said: "I'd like to announce my retirement from boxing. It's been a blast. I've love every single minute of it, and I'm gonna end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask."

Who? What?

Dick Turpin, as many folks have pointed out, was a famous robber who become quite the legend in England. From Britannica: "Son of an alehouse keeper, Turpin was apprenticed to a butcher, but, having been detected at cattle stealing, he joined a notorious gang of deer stealers and smugglers in Essex."

So it would seem that Fury is trying to say something about someone robbing something. There's a lot of speculation about what that means:

Dick Turpin was a famous thief. When Tyson states “at least Dick Turpin wore a mask” it’s saying at least Dick Turpin tried to hide his identity when committing a robbery.

The question is, is this about the Usyk fight or about the pay for the AJ fight? pic.twitter.com/ZmUtTjQU7M
— Kyle (@bulliedb170) January 13, 2025

“Dick Turpin wore a mask”

Literally just exposed the business to the whole world 😂 https://t.co/ChT0k6JuJe
— Dean Puckering (@MrDeanAnthony) January 13, 2025

Dick Turpin reference related to the judges? Promoters? Boxing Organisations? All of them?

What a career Tyson has had.. including a phenomenal comeback! but to end on the Dick Turpin note does appear rather salty.. especially as he’s had the rub of the green for some fights https://t.co/sLYpVVmFGx
— Leigh Loseby (@lloseby) January 13, 2025

The phrase "Dick Turpin wore a mask" is often used metaphorically to express skepticism or disapproval of hypocrisy, dishonesty, or pretense.

Tyson Fury 👇 pic.twitter.com/J04YPIeEHW
— Joe (@JoeBalaclava) January 13, 2025

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why did Tyson Fury call out Dick Turpin in his cryptic retirement announcement?