TYSON FURY COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT AGAIN

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By: Sefiu Ajape

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has announced plans to return to professional boxing in 2026, ending months of speculation over his future in the sport.

The 37-year-old Briton has not competed since his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, a fight that cost him three of the four major world heavyweight titles. However, Fury revealed on Sunday via Instagram that a comeback is on the cards.

“2026 is that year. Return of the Mac.

“Been away for a while, but I’m back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it,” he wrote.

Fury has a history of announcing his retirement only to reverse the decision. He previously claimed he was stepping away from boxing after defeating Dillian Whyte in April 2022, but later returned to the ring the same year.

Given that pattern, many observers were skeptical when he again announced his retirement following back-to-back losses to Usyk—the only boxer to have beaten him—particularly after Fury vented his frustration at the judges’ verdicts.

In his retirement message last year, the self-styled “Gypsy King” said, “I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask.”

Speculation about another comeback intensified over the festive period after Fury shared several training videos on his social media platforms, despite insisting he had walked away from the sport.

He has also continued to be linked with a long-anticipated all-British showdown against fellow former two-time world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, a bout that has eluded fans for years.

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on December 14, 2020 shows Boxer Tyson Fury (L) during a press conference in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 2020, and British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua during a press conference in Ad Diriyah, a Unesco-listed heritage site, outside Riyadh, on December 4, 2019. (Photos by RINGO CHIU and FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP)

The pair agreed to a fight in August 2021 when they held all the major world titles between them, but that was scuppered when Fury was ordered to take on Deontay Wilder for a third time by an arbitration hearing.

Plans were in the pipeline for Joshua and Fury to have tune-ups in the early part of this year before finally facing off against each other, either in late summer or towards the back end of 2026.

However, the car crash in Nigeria last Monday, which left Joshua injured and led to the deaths of two close friends and team members, has likely put boxing on the back burner for the 36-year-old.