Former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has confirmed he will return to boxing in 2026, but will ease back into the sport with a warm-up bout rather than jumping straight into a high-risk fight. The 37-year-old, a two-time heavyweight world champion, last fought more than a year ago before stepping away from the sport following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk while attempting to become undisputed champion. Fury had announced his retirement after the rematch, but, as with several previous declarations, doubts remained about whether he would stay away for good. Those doubts have now been confirmed, with Fury set to make another comeback in 2026. READ ALSO: Ricky Hatton: Right Offer Could Lure Tyson Fury Out of Retirement for Joshua Fight His manager, Spencer Brown, has ruled out newly crowned WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley as Fury’s first opponent back. Speaking to BoxNation, Brown said it would be too risky to face such an active and dangerous fighter straight away. “Why would he fight Wardley straight away? He needs a warm-up fight,” Brown said. “Wardley has been very active and doing his job. If he told me he was fighting Wardley tomorrow, I would just say ‘wait’. Yes, he is too dangerous right now.” Instead, Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov has emerged as the leading candidate to face Fury in his comeback fight. Makhmudov recently boosted his profile with a victory over Dave Allen in Britain and is seen as a suitable opponent for Fury to regain sharpness after his long layoff. Wardley, meanwhile, has expressed his willingness to face Fury later in the year and is expected to make a voluntary first defence of his WBO title in the meantime. Fury first rose to global prominence in 2015 when he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko to win the unified heavyweight titles. After losing those belts due to inactivity caused by mental health struggles and addiction, he made a remarkable comeback, reclaiming world honours by defeating Deontay Wilder in 2020 and defending the WBC title three times. With another return now on the horizon, Fury is once again set to become a major figure in the heavyweight division in 2026.
Tyson Fury Confirms 2026 Comeback, Set for Warm-Up Fight
