WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has made it clear that he's never lost the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO world titles in the ring.
He captured those belts in November of 2015, when he traveled to Germany and shocked the sport by winning a twelve round decision over Wladimir Klitschko, who had ruled the division for a decade.
But then Fury became inactive for two and a half years, while he battled severe depression and substance abuse issues.
During that long layoff, all of his titles became vacant.
Anthony Joshua would eventually capture those belts with victories over Klitschko, Charles Martin and Joseph Parker. He briefly lost them all to Andy Ruiz and captured them in the rematch in December.
Fury returned to the sport in June of 2018. And last month he captured the WBC title with a stoppage of Deontay Wilder.
"I've got two more fights left and then we'll really think about what we're doing and go from there. Because how long is a piece of string? I'm undefeated in 31 professional fights and this is my 12th year as a professional. I’ve already been undisputed champion of the world when I beat Klitschko, I had all the belts,” Fury said on The Morning.
“So as far as I’m concerned Anthony Joshua’s only got my leftovers, because I never lost those belts, I had to vacate them for mental health problems to focus on my … they’re my belts.
“Until a man is defeated in the boxing ring, how can you claim to be a champion when you haven’t beat the champion? I beat the dominant heavyweight of our era with 26 title defences and went to Germany to do it. Then I went to America and beat the guy that no one would fight, and then I’ll come back and I’ll have two more fights and hopefully then we’ll sail off into the sunset.”