Tyson Fury has insisted that he will retire from boxing as undefeated heavyweight champion following his victory over Dillian Whyte last Saturday.

The Gypsy King cruised to retain his WBC title with a sixth-round knockout win over mandatory challenger Whyte in front of 94,000 people at the national stadium.

Shortly after the bout, the 33-year-old announced to the packed crowd that he would be hanging up his gloves, however some still have doubts over whether Fury will actually walk away from the sport.

If this does turn out to be the case, the WBC have some work to do in order to find the next owner of the belt.

Usually, the belt would be contested between the next two boxers in the rankings, who are currently Deontay Wilder at number one and Britain's Joe Joyce at number two.

However, it is unknown whether Wilder will return to the ring following two successive losses at the hands of Fury.

Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder is back and running his mouth

Joyce is set to take on Joseph Parker, who is the former WBO world champion, and currently at number three in the WBC rankings.

Whoever comes out on top in that clash will most likely be given the opportunity to fight for the vacant belt.

Another route that could be taken is for the WBC to push for a undisputed fight, however this would also hinge on Wilder's decision, as the American would take on the winner of Anthony Joshua versus Oleksandr Usyk for the WBA, WBO and IBF titles.

Anthony Joshua

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Anthony Joshua looks on during the Heavyweight Title Fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

However, there is an element of doubt over the top four ranked boxers, therefore they may be forced to delve deeper into the order.

Frank Sanchez is number five ranked and undefeated. Last year he defeated the highly-touted Efe Ajagba and in January outpointed veteran Christian Hammer.

With the situation far from clear, all eyes will be on Fury in the coming months to see whether he is going to stick to his word and retire as the first undefeated heavyweight since Rocky Marciano.