It remains to be seen if heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury will ever compete in an official pro boxing match again, but he’s got a few potential opponents in mind for exhibition bouts — and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of them.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Fury was asked about his announced retirement and whether it would stick. The Gypsy King was fairly noncommittal but did name The Rock specifically while musing about unofficial matches (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).
“I’m gonna take some exhibition matches, some ‘not real’ fights that are purely entertainment factor,” Fury said. “This is not professional boxing, this is pure entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less. The difference is, the exhibition is you’re not there to win or lose. You’re there to enjoy, have a good time, and put on a show for the fans.
“The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, that would be fantastic.”
Fury also mentioned WWE Hall of Famer and boxing icon Mike Tyson, as well as former British boxing champions Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno, as names he had in mind.
Exhibition matches in boxing have taken off in the 2020s, as fighters see them as a way to make nice paydays with a minimum of risk, both to their health and their professional records. Floyd Mayweather is an example of one superstar who has embraced the trend, defeating social media personality Logan Paul in an exhibition last year and announcing an upcoming bout with Japanese MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura for this fall.
Johnson would undoubtedly attract a ton of mainstream attention, and Fury has worked with WWE in the past, as well as discussing potential appearances at the company’s events this year. That said, The Rock has any number of ways to make money without being hit in the face by a heavyweight champion, even in an unofficial match, so we’re calling this matchup a pipe dream — though a fun one, no question.