Tyson Fury was stripped of The Ring Magazine’s heavyweight title this week after failing to schedule a comeback fight by January 31.
The British heavyweight, who hasn’t fought since November 2015, was given a deadline to organise his next fight.
But January has passed and with Fury’s comeback bout still unclear, the decision was taken to strip the former heavyweight champion of the title.
“The Ring championship belt is the closest representation to a lineal champion in the sport today, and Tyson Fury was extremely proud to be part of our heavyweight history,” the publication said in a statement.
“We deeply regret separating from the lineal championship and we would hope that fans appreciate our reasons for giving Tyson every opportunity over the past two years.”
Eddie Hearn has reacted to Fury news
Eddie Hearn, the man who can make a fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua happen, has responded to the news by raising an excellent point.
As frustrating as it is for Fury, Hearn believes that the Gypsy King can use the setback as a platform to reignite his career now that all of the drama has been dealt with.
“If I’m honest, it probably should have happened sooner,” Hearn told iFL TV. “I think they’ve given him every opportunity; I think they’ve been pretty fair, really.
“I saw he tweeted something similar yesterday but they set a date, they made everybody aware of the date, it wasn’t a secret.
“But I think the tougher thing was that he had to fight someone in the top five or very close. It was just not going to happen.
Hearn: This can be a positive for Fury
“If you’re Tyson Fury, or you’re a Tyson Fury fan, you can look at it as a positive and a negative.
“The negative of course is he’s lost a great title and probably some of his bargaining power with that title, but as a positive, maybe that’s it now.
“He can say, ‘we know where we lie, everything’s clear. I’ve got to get my license. UKAD done, I don’t have any belts anymore but the drama is all dealt with, now we can start again.’
“That’s how I’d look at it. I’d say, ‘right, I’ve lost all my belts, I don’t have my Ring Magazine but UKAD is dealt with, got my licence, I’m good to go.’"
Hearn added: “I think he’s got some legal issues with some promoters to deal with but hopefully he can get out there because he looks like he’s training hard.
“He’s got a great setup there at MTK in Marbella, I think he’s genuinely grafting out there so hopefully he gets back sooner rather than later.”
Perhaps losing the title will provide the last remaining push that Fury needs to get his career back on track.