Tyson Fury is coming out of retirement and has promised that his return to the ring will be the biggest and best event of 2026.
Out of action since suffering a second successive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, the 37‑year‑old now faces major questions.
Why is Fury making a comeback, when and who will he fight, can he reclaim a world title, and is he risking his legacy by stepping back into the ring?
Eyebrows were raised the moment Fury announced his retirement from boxing for the second time in January 2025. Twelve months on, those suspicions over its authenticity have been proven right, with Fury now confirming his return to the ring in 2026.
He has long described himself as a "fighting man" and says the deep connection boxing has to his identity - not money - is driving his decision to come out of retirement.
"I've won everything from regional belts in England to super world titles, Fighter of the Year twice with Ring Magazine, every world title belt there is, but for me, there is nothing else other than the fight game," Fury said.
"It's not for financial gain. I could have retired 10 years ago; I've made an absolute fortune. It's not about the money. It's mainly about the love of the fight game and the sport.
"I'm 38 this year. I'm old, but I love to fight. I have zero other interests - only fighting. I was born and raised to fight; my destiny lies within the fight game. It's the life I chose; I'm not stopping."
While Fury announced he would make a comeback in 2026, he stopped short of placing a precise date on his return to the ring.
Despite this, it is unlikely Fury will set foot in a ring before March 2026, given the standard 12‑week training camp fighters usually undertake.
After a year out of the ring, Fury will likely need to complete a lengthy conditioning programme to regain fighting fitness, making a mid‑to‑late‑2026 comeback more realistic.
Fury will also likely need at least one warm‑up fight before challenging the biggest names in the heavyweight division, with a Ring Magazine report claiming bouts on Riyadh Season events have been earmarked for the self‑styled Gypsy King to tune up.
Whether Fury can win a world title again and whether he will get another shot at a world title are different questions with different answers.
Fury named a three‑fighter hit list when announcing his retirement U‑turn: Oleksandr Usyk, Fabio Wardley and Anthony Joshua.
A trilogy fight against WBC, WBA and IBF belt‑holder Usyk represents the toughest route back to a world title, given Fury's back‑to‑back defeats to the Ukrainian in 2024.
Usyk's decision to relinquish the WBO title presents a more viable option - Wardley, who now holds the belt and has said he would entertain defending it in an all‑British showdown with Fury.
"It was good [to be named on Tyson Fury's hit list] because he was already on mine. It makes no difference to me," Wardley told Your Site. "I'm not going to run off with my belt and not offer it out to anyone.
"The biggest names out there are the guys I want to be in fights with. I'm not shying away from big fights. I haven't got a world title just to take easy fights.
"I think being open [to negotiations] might be a bit of an understatement. I'd be extremely keen to see if he's genuine about it or not. I'd back myself against anyone in this division."
A win over either would see Fury join Muhammad Ali as a three‑time world heavyweight champion.
Potentially, but probably not.
While Fury's claim to be the greatest heavyweight of his generation has been significantly dented by successive defeats to Usyk, his legacy as one of Britain's greatest fighters has already been secured.
That status could be enhanced further if he avenges his defeats to Usyk, becomes a three‑time world heavyweight champion and gives fight fans what they have been craving for a decade by finally going toe‑to‑toe with Joshua.
Fall short of those objectives - lose for a third time to Usyk, fail to agree terms for a fight against Joshua - and Fury's comeback risks sounding like a broken record.
If Fury were to win a world title again, avenge his defeats against Usyk and finally fight Joshua in 2026, there would be little else left for the Gypsy King to achieve in the sport.
Come the end of the year, he could set off into the sunset once and for all and truly mean it - but boxing, and life, are far more complicated.
After the tragic death of his two friends in a car crash in Nigeria, it remains uncertain when - or even if - Joshua will return to boxing, which could push a potential fight with Fury further into the future or quash it completely.
And as history has shown, Fury may find it impossible to hang up his gloves again and find the lure of making more fights too irresistible, taking this comeback into 2027 or beyond.
