Tyson Fury’s retirement from boxing has been dismissed as insignificant by former world champion George Groves.

Fury announced his retirement earlier this year following two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, only to reverse his decision and then recently claim he had no desire to return to the ring. He stated: “There’s no actual reason for me to go back in the boxing ring. You could offer me £1 billion today, and it wouldn’t move the needle.

“What am I going to do with it? It’s not going to affect my life at all. It won’t affect their kids’ lives. It will just make them f—— spoiled brats and make them s— people.

“I’m 37 years old, I’ve been punched for the last 25 years, what do I want to go back to boxing for? It used to be for the money, the titles, but now I’ve got more money than I can spend, I’ve got unlimited amounts of belts and titles, and does it make me any happier? No.

“Was the chase better than the victory? Yes. The climb was better than the mountain peak, to be fair. Always the case.”

However, Groves is confident that Fury will make a comeback next year and finally face off against Anthony Joshua. “He’s retired five times now, so we know retirement means nothing,” he told Lottoland.

“There are benefits to retiring. You don’t have to live like an athlete anymore or adhere to British Boxing Board of Control requirements. He’s got no belt to be stripped, and if he comes out of retirement, just like he has done before, it’ll add value and excitement to the fight.

“I’m almost certain he’ll fight Anthony Joshua once Joshua recovers from injury or elbow surgery. That’ll probably be later this year, likely in Saudi Arabia. Whoever wins can say, ‘I beat you. I own you.’ That settles it – who had the better career, the bigger wins, the better fights. They’ve been the faces of British boxing for over a decade, and I think they will fight. There’s no way Fury doesn’t return.

“He’s not going to come back at a lower level. He’s not getting another fight with Usyk. He’s not fighting Francis Ngannou in a cage, which might be fun but probably won’t happen either.

“I think it’s a pick ’em fight [with Joshua]. Fury’s heavier, more agile, with better boxing IQ and faster hands, but Joshua still has incredible athleticism, a devastating punch, and a lot of big-fight experience.

“It’s all about who performs on the night and who has more left. I don’t think it’s a walkover by any means.”