After many rumors and discussions, The Gypsy King will be back in action soon enough: Tyson Fury has put an end to his short-lived retirement and is returning to the boxing ring in 2026.
When Fury made his retirement announcement, no one was really buying it. Sure, he was coming off of two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk, but he fought relatively well in them and still had plenty left in the tank. He had also claimed he was retiring on other occasions, only to come back when the right opportunity came about.
Tyson Fury will fight Arslanbek Makhmudov in April
That appears to be the case once again; only this time, he won’t be facing Usyk. Fury was holding out hope for a trilogy fight, but Usyk simply couldn’t make up his mind on his next steps. That has led to Fury moving on to a different opponent: Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Makhmudov was considered a top heavyweight contender up until December of 2023, when he lost by TKO to Agit Kabayel. He followed that up with a knockout victory, only to fall by TKO once again in August of 2024, to Guido Vianello. Makhmudov has rebounded with two straight wins, but he’s lost some of his shine. He’s still a dangerous opponent, though, having earned 19 of his 21 wins by knockout.
The fight will take place on April 11 and will be streamed live on Netflix. Fury is following in the footsteps of Jake Paul. Netflix announced the bout will take place in the United Kingdom, although no venue has been confirmed yet. All three of Fury’s previous fights took place in Saudi Arabia.
- December 21, 2024 vs. Oleksandr Usyk: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- May 18, 2024 vs. Oleksandr Usyk: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- October 28, 2023 vs. Francis Ngannou: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- December 3, 2022 vs. Derek Chisora: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
- April 23, 2022 vs. Dillian Whyte: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Fury is likely treating this fight as a tune-up of sorts before a potential trilogy fight against Usyk, or a long-awaited matchup against Anthony Joshua, later in the year.
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