Return of the Mac: Tyson Fury confirms comeback

Tyson Fury confirms comeback plans for 2026

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) has now officially announced his comeback plans for 2026.

'The Gypsy King' announced on social media in the morning of Sunday, January 4: "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."

Now 37, Tyson Fury had teased a possible comeback in a training clip he released yesterday that showed him pounding the punchbags in a gym with former IBO world cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena in Thailand.

The man from Morecombe has not fought since suffering a second successive points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, which was followed by yet another retirement announcement a month later.

The news was met with a mixture of scepticism, since he has hung up his gloves approximately half a dozen times before, but also many felt that Fury was not too far removed from his prime, especially as the first ever defeat was only decided by a single point and then he dominated much of the first half of the rematch that led to his second defeat, both times at the hands of Usyk.

With the long period of inactivity that has followed, it is difficult to gauge exactly how the British behemoth will perform if and when he returns to the ring. Positive updates from both himself and promoter Frank Warren suggest he will be doing so in the first half of 2026, which could mean a fight announcement is imminent.

Next Opponents

Fight fans responded to the announcement with their top 10 choice of opponents for Fury:

Arslanbek Makhmudov
Andy Ruiz Jr.
Anthony Joshua
Fabio Wardley
Daniel Dubois
Deontay Wilder
Oleksandr Usyk
Agit Kabayel
Martin Bakole
Moses Itauma

Things you didn't know about Tyson Fury