Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will come out of retirement in 2026, Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh appeared to claim on Wednesday.
Fury, 36, retired from boxing in January after losing a title fight rematch with Oleksandr Usyk by unanimous decision the previous month.
“The ‘Gypsy King’ will be back,” Alalshikh said in a post on X.
“I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh season in 2026. We have a rabbit to hunt. “
Fury often referred to Usyk as a “rabbit” in the build-up to their title fights, both of which were held in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The Ukrainian won their first encounter in May 2024 by split decision to become the heavyweight division’s first undisputed four-belt champion.
In a post on Instagram, Fury wrote “Let’s see what 2026 brings” over a photo of him shaking hands with Alalshikh, who is chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment authority.
Alalshikh has been a key figure in the rise of boxing in Saudi Arabia, bringing a string of high-profile fights to the country.
However, earlier on Wednesday Fury suggested he might be more interested in fighting on home soil.
“Who would I rather fight, right now? Usyk. Because I want my revenge in England,” he told reporters at an International Boxing Association event in Istanbul.
“I don’t believe I’ve got a fair shout the last two times. That’s all I want. I want a fair shout, and I don’t believe I’ve got a fair shout the last two times.
“That’s the one I want, but if I don’t get that then it’d be [Anthony] Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen.
“It would break all records, and it would sell out 100,000 at Wembley in an hour. And it’s a fight I think can happen, for sure, if I decide to come back. “
Fury is yet to fight Joshua, who was stopped by compatriot Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September, his most recent outing.
EXCLUSIVE: Frontman Ozzy Osbourne will end his performing days this weekend, then head to an event where he’ll pose with fans for big payday with family
Ozzy Osbourne is going to earn thousands at Comic Con Midlands(Image: Mirrorpix)
Ozzy Osbourne super-fans will have to fork out more than £1,400 for the metal icon to sign a microphone or guitar at an upcoming event, and nearly £1,000 for a photograph with him.
The Black Sabbath frontman, 76, will perform for the final time on Saturday alongside his bandmates – Tony Iommi, 77, Geezer Butler, 75, and Bill Ward, 77 – at Villa Park, Aston, in a farewell heavy metal show called Back to the Beginning.
But a week later he will head 12 miles down road to Comic Con Midlands, at Birmingham’s NEC, where the Prince of Darkness and his family – wife and former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, 72, their daughter Kelly Osbourne, 40, and son Jack Osbourne, 39 – will meet and have photographs taken with die-hard fans on Saturday, July 12.
Supporters will have to spend £666 – often referred to as the number of the beast in heavy metal circles – for the top-tier Ultimate Sin VIP Package at Comic Con Midlands. For that, fans will receive a group professional photo opportunity with Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack – whose fame increased in 2002 thanks to their The Osbournes reality TV show – but it is limited to two people per photo. However, under-5s are not included in the restriction.
Ozzy will be appearing at an event meeting fans(Image: Getty Images North America)
Ultimate Sin VIP package purchasers will also receive separate 8×10 signed photos of the quartet, and will be given the option to purchase a solo professional photo opportunity with Ozzy and the Paranoid singer’s autograph – if they pay more.
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Anyone wanting Ozzy to sign their microphone or guitar will have to spend £750 for the privilege, meaning they will have spent £1,416 in total, including the Ultimate Sin VIP package.
And fans can have a professional photo with Ozzy – who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease – for £300, but they will have spent a total of £966 including the top-tier package.
The rock god will also sign an album, toy or poster for £375, or a book for £225 – for supporters with VIP package status – according to a Comic Con Midlands Facebook post. In response to the event’s pricing structure announcement, one Facebook user wrote: “Laughable prices, genuinely laughable”
Another posted: “Time to start selling me kidney” One posted: “Do we have to get VIP to meet Ozzy or can we meet him solo? ” Comic Con Midlands replied: “You’ll need the VIP package. “
One fan joked they would have to sell a kidney to meet their idol(Image: AP)
In contrast, Sex Pistols legend John Lydon – AKA Johnny Rotten – is charging a far more modest £90 for a pre-show meet and greet – including a photograph, autograph, and goody bag – on various dates of his I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right spoken word tour later this year.
At Comic Con Midlands, a photograph with American thrash metallers Scott Ian and Frank Bello from Anthrax – who will also be playing at Black Sabbath’s farewell show on Saturday – is priced at £110, and Slipknot fans will only have to pay £60 for a picture with the metal band’s turntablist Sid Wilson.
What’s more, a photograph with Ozzy’s wife Sharon is priced at £80, and snaps with Kelly or Jack are £60. Former Celebrity Big Brother star Sharon will also sign an autograph for £60, while Kelly and Jack’s signatures are £40 apiece.
On Saturday, original Sabbath members Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill will be reunited at Back to the Beginning for the first time in 20 years.
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Ozzy said: “It’s my final encore; it’s my chance to say thank you to my fans for always supporting me and being there for me. ” Ozzy now has Parkinson’s disease and has struggled for ill health for a number of years and so is unable to play a full live show.
READ MORE: New magazine shows Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne in a very different light in previously unseen vintage snaps
Wimbledon is all about moments. While Katie Boulter is left wondering whether hers will ever come, fellow Briton Sonay Kartal is grasping hers.
Boulter had made the dream start at SW19 by beating ninth seed Paula Badosa in the opening round, but then let a lead slip in a three-set defeat by lucky loser Solana Sierra.
It is the second successive year the British number two has failed to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
“Of course it hurts, it’s a really tough pill to swallow – it always is here,” said Boulter.
Her exit was all the more disappointing given how well she had played against Spaniard Badosa.
She was the underdog in that match and seemed to relish that status, but was the favourite against Argentine rookie Sierra.
A fightback from 5-2 down to take the first set showed promise, but Boulter made too many mistakes as her 21-year-old opponent won the next two sets for a 6-7 (9-7) 6-2 6-1 win.
“You can look at a piece of paper and be like, ‘oh, this is a terrible loss’,” added the 28-year-old.
‘I couldn’t afford a coach’ – Kartal’s rise after tough start
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In contrast, Kartal appears to be thriving at Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed an impressive rise in the last 12 months and beat 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round – her third win against a top-20 opponent this year. She followed that by powering past Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2 to reach the third round.
Kartal is a recognisable presence on the court with her tattoos and distinctly retro tennis kit, and appears to be enjoying playing on the big stage.
Her path to professional tennis is not a well-trodden one, having had to largely self-fund her career, something she credits with helping her to mature very quickly.
“When I was growing up, I kind of did quite a lot of tournaments on my own just because I couldn’t afford to pay a coach week in and week out,” said Kartal, who has climbed around 250 places in the rankings over the past year to 51st.
“I think it was great. It helped me develop as a teenager, grow up super fast, made me much more mature, hold myself accountable to a lot of things. “
Next up for Kartal is a match against French qualifier Diane Parry, who beat 12th seed and world number 15 Diana Shnaider to reach the third round.
The British number three is determined to keep her good form going as she looks to reach the fourth round for the first time.
“I think having a home Slam, I think that’s one arena I really want to perform well in front of the people that mean the most to me, friends and family and everyone,” added Kartal.
Eight top-10 seeds across the men’s and women’s singles draws exited in the first round – the most at a Grand Slam in the Open era – before Jasmine Paolini joined the exodus in the second round on Wednesday.
Among those avoiding shock defeats on day three were defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz and women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka, beating Ollie Tarvet and Marie Bouzkova to progress to the third round.
On day four the other side of the draw will play for a second time, with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, men’s world number one Jannik Sinner and Britain’s Jack Draper among those in action.
Many eyes will be on Centre Court from 13:30 BST as 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic takes on Britain’s Dan Evans.
That match is followed by five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, who faces America’s Caty McNally.
World number one Sinner will close play on Centre when the Italian comes up against Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
On Court One, seventh seed Mirra Andreeva opens against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti at 13:00.
That is followed by a match-up between Greece’s Maria Sakkari and 11th seed Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion.
Britain’s fourth seed Draper will close play on Court One against former US Open winner Marin Cilic, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2017.
While Draper, Evans and Pinnington Jones fly the flag for Great Britain in the singles, 22 British players will be in first-round doubles action throughout Wednesday.
Britain’s Jamie Murray and partner Rajeev Ram take on Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler first on Court 14, where British pair Johannus Monday and David Stevenson will be facing Mattia Bellucci and Fabian Marozsan later in the day.
Britain’s Alicia Barnett and Eden Silva are up against Camila Osorio and Alycia Parks first on Court Six, and Lui Maxted and Connor Thomson face eighth seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus last on Court Eight.
Third up on Court Nine will be Britain’s Olivia Nicholls, partnering Slovenia’s Tereza Mihalikova against Kamilla Rakhimova and Anna Siskova.
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Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur opens on Court Two against Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, with Czech defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova taking on American Caroline Dolehide on the same court later in the day.
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EXCLUSIVE: Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley is friends with Noel Gallagher and hopes Oasis will bring out new music in 2026 following the staggering success of the reunion tour
The oasis tour kicks off soon and fans could have more good news on the way in 2026(Image: PA)
The countdown is now on for the first show of the Oasis world tour but once the gigs begin the next question for many fans will centre around if the band will bring out new material.
Rumours have persisted for months since the Noel and Liam reunion was announced about possible tracks or demos or recording sessions, but so far nothing is confirmed to be happening. Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley, a close friend of Noel, certainly thinks it is likely though.
Jo said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve written something, if Noel has written something new, because I think he’d want to prove himself. He’s very ambitious. He really wants to be respected. I’d love them to do new material that was really good. You know, we’ve had Pulp just coming out and doing an amazing album.
READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out
Could Oasis bring out new music?(Image: Oasis standalone)
“Blur have done an amazing album. You’ve got Suede, all their peers are coming up with stuff. They’re still creative. They’re not ancient men, you know, they’re artists who want to strive to be great, and they’ve both(Noel and Liam) done that with their individual careers as well. They’re really committed. Noel has been so committed to making new music all the time. So I don’t know how they could not try and do something new. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, and I’ll hope that it’s brilliant. ”
6 Music DJ Steve Lamacq, who used to champion Oasis in the Nineties on Radio 1 alongside Jo said : “ I’d quite like to hear a grown up version of Oasis in some respects, but I’m not sure that’s what Oasis would do best. Because I think what everyone wants is Oasis still being the pure, exciting rock and roll band that made those early albums. I’d be interested. Would it be any good? You’d hope so.”
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Other sources the Mirror spoke to have predicted a new track could be added to a new greatest hits album if one came out in 2026. One insider said: “Now the band are back they may want to bring out a new greatest hits which reflects what Noel and Liam consider the best songs, spanning every era and even B-sides.”
Since warring brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher called a truce to their 15-year feud and announced a huge stadium world tour, their songs and albums have re-entered the top end of the charts including their albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and singles collection Time Flies 1994-2009.
Jo admits it wouldn’t be a surprise if Noel had written more music(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Kil)
Plans were previously underway for a new greatest hits compilation which would be curated by Liam and Noel rather than contain all of the band’s singles. But it was cancelled at the last minute some time ago.
Speaking before the reunion was announced, Noel, 57, previously said on the possible greatest hits album: “Liam put the mockers on it so I don’t think it will be coming out.
“He wouldn’t agree to anything at the last minute. Right at the last minute as well, it was due to come out. Anyway, there you go, it’s not the end of the world. It is a shame.
“He wouldn’t have it in the end, I don’t know why. I gave up f***ing arguing with it, I just said, ‘You know what, I’ve got other f***ing things to do now. Bye bye. ’
One album that is definitely coming out is deluxe new formats of iconic album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – with unplugged versions of five iconic tracks.
The move is to celebrate the era-defining album’s landmark 30-year anniversary, one of the reasons it is thought the Gallaghers have also decided to tour this year
The new version of their second LP will feature new unplugged versions of five classic recordings Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory, Wonderwall, Acquiesce and Champagne Supernova.
Released on October 3 on Big Brother Recordings, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) is available for pre-order on limited edition 2CD and 3LP formats as well as digital formats. This special anniversary format follows last summer’s release of the 30th Anniversary Edition of Definitely Maybe which reached number 1 in the Official UK Album Chart for the second time in that album’s history.
Noel and Liam will walk on stage for the first time together in public, since the band split nearly two decades ago, on Friday in Cardiff. There will also be dates in Manchester, London and Dublin as part of the tour.
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READ MORE: Win tickets to see Oasis at Wembley in our fab competition
A former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Malami announced his defection in a statement titled “To the Good People of Kebbi and Fellow Nigerians” shared on Wednesday via his official social media handle.
He said his decision followed “wide consultations and deep personal reflection,” stressing that it was not driven by personal ambition or grievance, but by “a deep love for our nation and concern for the hardship our people are facing daily. ”
“Nigeria is bleeding. Insecurity has taken over our homes, especially in the North. Banditry, kidnappings, and terrorism have become part of our lives, while the government prioritises politics over the safety of its citizens,” he said.
Malami also cited the country’s worsening economic conditions as a reason for his departure.
“Prices of basic food items have tripled. The poor can no longer feed their families. Jobs are disappearing. Young people are hopeless,” he lamented.
He further accused the Federal Government of abandoning good governance, alleging that “merit has been replaced with political patronage in critical appointments. ”
“Governance has been abandoned. Appointments, projects, and policies are now guided by political loyalty, not national interest. I cannot remain part of a system that watches in silence as Nigerians suffer and die,” he said.
READ ALSO: Coalition Members Enemies Of Nigeria, Will Take Country Backwards – ADC’s Kachikwu
On why he chose the ADC, Malami said the party represents “justice, inclusion, competence, and national renewal”.
He expressed optimism that, with the support of Nigerians, the party could help chart a new course for the country.
“I believe that through this coalition, and with the support of Nigerians, we can create a better future for our beloved nation,” he added.
He also assured the people of Kebbi State of his continued commitment to their welfare and political advancement, noting that his move to the ADC would help amplify their voices and better protect their interests.
Following the recent defection of three PDP senators—led by Adamu Aliero—to the APC, Malami is now considered one of the leading opposition figures in Kebbi State.
Earlier on Wednesday, members of a newly formed opposition coalition met at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where they formally adopted the ADC as their operational platform for the 2027 general elections.
The coalition introduced former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as interim secretary, following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu.
Present at the meeting were key political figures, including Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Peter Obi (Labour Party), former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, Dele Momodu, Senator Ireti Kingibe, and others from the PDP, SDP, and LP.
