Tyson Fury stripped of RING magazine title

RING magazine has just officially stripped Tyson Fury of his last remaining trinket: their version of a heavyweight title which he won over Wladimir Klitschko in late 2015. Fury hasn’t fought since then as he dealt with a number of issues, but once he was cleared to return, following a 2-year layoff, the magazine gave him until January 31st to announce his next fight if he were to keep their title. He didn’t.

Now RING’s heavyweight title is vacant. It should be noted though, with no disrespect to RING magazine, that their title isn’t considered a major world title since they are in fact a magazine and not a sanctioning body. The belt still carries at least some esteem however, as they claim their title “is the closest representation to a lineal champion in the sport today.”

Make of that what you will but there are no universally agreed upon rules as to how lineal championships work — particularly if a fighter retires with the title or is stripped without having lost in the ring, breaking any lineage moving forward.

RING also makes it clear that their now-vacant heavyweight title will not be up for grabs in Anthony Joshua’s upcoming unification bout with Joseph Parker, who are rated #1 and #3 by the magazine, respectively. “After careful consideration” they believe that fight shouldn’t qualify for their belt.