‘They don’t want to participate!’ – John Fury says Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are avoiding his exhibition challenge

John Fury is still eager to take on an exhibition fight of his own against Evander Holyfield or Mike Tyson but says the heavyweight legends ‘don’t want to participate’.

Tyson Fury insisted on Wednesday morning he remains ‘happily retired and content with his career’ – despite suggesting just hours earlier that he could be tempted back for an undisputed title showdown against Oleksandr Uysk or Anthony Joshua.

‘The Gypsy King’ has stuck to his guns as far as exhibition fights are concerned, however, insisting they are his more immediate focus with The Rock among his dream opponents.

Fury Snr has also been eager to return to the ring having fought professionally between 1987 and 1995, winning eight of his 13 fights having also fought as a bare-knuckle boxer.

The 57-year-old has been a key figure alongside Tyson during his rise to the summit of heavyweight boxing and trains his younger son Tommy Fury.

And he is happy to take part in his own exhibition scrap for the right money.

‘I’m up for it, but they don’t want to participate,’ Fury Snr told Metro.co.uk on behalf of FreeBets.

‘If the money’s right, why not? I believe I’m up there with the fittest people my age. I’m still on the road, I’m still in the gym, I’m still sparring, why not?

‘I’m 57, so if they’re going to do it, they need to be quick about it. I can’t hang on forever at this age. I’m up for anything and anybody as long as the money’s right. Nuisances and dreamers don’t bother applying!’

John Fury has fought in hundreds of unlicenced bare-knuckle fights, claiming to have banked £100,000 for one fight back in Ireland in the early 90s.

The brutal sport is now part of the professional fighting arena however, a charge led by The Bare-Knuckle Boxing Championship (BKB) who are a