Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury pledges to retire from boxing after Wladimir Klitschko rematch

Tyson Fury has promised to retire from boxing after his forthcoming rematch against Wladimir Klitschko. The 27-year-old heavyweight champion is set to defend his WBA, IBO and WBO titles against the Ukrainian at the Manchester Arena on 9 July, but Fury has insisted it will be his last bout as a professional.

The controversial star confirmed the news of his impending retirement via his Twitter account. Alongside a picture of his family, he wrote: "This is the reason I'm retiring after my next fight, to spend the my time with these guys, missing my kids get grow! (sic)"

He added: "I set off today for what promises to be a very hard eight weeks' training camp. This will be my best fight, then I'll retire 100 percent."

The Manchester-born fighter has spent the build-up to the Klitschko rematch saying he has fallen out of love with the sport, claiming it has simply become a means of earning a living. During one of the pre-fight press conferences, Fury boasted about being out of shape and mocked Klitschko for allowing a "fat man" to beat him in October last year.

Turning to the former champion during the press conference, Fury - who married his wife Paris in 2009 - said: "Shame on you, you let a fat man beat you."

Assuming Fury remains true to his promise of retiring, he will forgo the chance to fight money-spinning bouts against fellow Britons David Haye and Anthony Joshua, who holds the IBF title that Fury was forced to vacate.