Fury comes out of retirement… again

Tyson Fury, the ex-world champion at heavyweight, has announced that he will start boxing in 2026, ending his most recent retirement.

The 37-year-old Briton last met in December of that year when Oleksandr Usyk, the unified champion, defeated him for a second time in a heavyweight rematch. One month later, Fury announced his retirement.

After Fury shared footage of himself training with South African boxer Kevin Lerena in Thailand, speculation about a comeback had grown.

Fury stated in a Sunday Instagram post that “2026 is that year. The Mac’s return. I’ve been away for a while, but I’m back. Still punching at the age of 37. There is nothing more satisfying than to punch people in the face and then get paid for it.

Fury’s return to the ring was anticipated by most. Given his history of reverses, skepticism persisted at his most recent retirement last year.

In April of this year, he stopped Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium before returning six months later. He had previously stopped boxing.

Fury’s promoter at Queensberry, Frank Warren, predicted a second fight. Powerbroker Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia reportedly planned to fight Anthony Joshua and Fury separately in the Kingdom in early 2026 before their final fight in the latter’s kingdom was revealed later that year.

After defeating Jake Paul in December, Joshua said he was prepared to face Fury next.

After Joshua was hurt in a car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two close friends, those plans are now uncertain.

Fury won two heavyweight titles in a row and holds a 34-win, two-loss record against Usyk, and one draw against Deontay Wilder.

In 2015, he stunned Wladimir Klitschko, who had previously won the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles.

Fury returned in 2018 after more than two and a half years away from the ring, where he addressed mental health issues, defeating Wilder in 2020 to claim the WBC title.

Fury has publicly stated that she wants to avenge her defeats against Usyk, who currently holds the WBA (Super), WBC, and IBF belts.

Fans seem to have a limited appetite for a trilogy, but the Ukrainian has indicated he would prefer to defend his titles against Wilder next.