AJ-Usyk winner? Ngannou? DuBoef on Fury's future

Todd duBoef believes a unification bout or a showdown with mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou could tempt Tyson Fury back into action but admits the unbeaten heavyweight's future remains up in the air.

Fury has repeatedly insisted he has retired from boxing after successfully defending his WBC world heavyweight crown by stopping Dillian Whyte in the sixth round at Wembley in April, including sharing pictures and videos of him and his family enjoying life in the South of France on social media.

Rumours of a possible end-of-year unification clash with the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, or a hybrid fight against UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou - who joined Fury in the ring after his win over Whyte - persist though.

But while DuBoef, president of Fury's American promoters Top Rank, stated there are no plans in place for the 'Gypsy King' to return to the ring, he knows both could bring about a change of heart from the 33-year-old.

"I think there is obviously a lot brewing about the rematch between AJ and Usyk," DuBoef told Sky Sports. "Obviously that has always been on his and everybody's target, but I think at this point there is nothing to be talked about because he hasn't determined what he wants to do.

"Maybe the winner, when that fight happens, can pull him out, or maybe something else can be motivational like Ngannou.

"We saw Francis Ngannou get in the ring and it was kind of bizarre that the guy was retiring but the MMA heavyweight champion was getting in the ring to talk smack - which one are we doing here?

"But is it going to be he just sits in the South of France on the beach there and enjoys it? That again, I am speaking for him and that is a difficult position for me to be