Tyson Fury has named one condition for him to come out of retirement and return to boxing once more. The Gypsy King has not fought since a second successive loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December last year. After a split decision loss in Riyadh last March, he lost the rematch via unanimous decision as Usyk defended his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts and remained the undisputed and unbeaten king of the division.
Fury, 37, then retired three weeks later, in January this year, and has so far refused to perform a U-turn. He has already come out of retirement once before, returning to the ring to face Sefer Seferi in June 2018 almost three years on from his iconic victory over Wladimir Klitschko in Germany.
Since he stepped away from boxing, a trilogy scrap with Usyk has been mooted, as has a long-awaited blockbuster Battle of Britain with Anthony Joshua. And his good friend Derek Chisora has shared what Fury wants if he’s ever to return to the ring again – a massive fight purse.
Chisora spent time with Fury in Monaco and revealed: “Tyson is coming back. He wants to fight Usyk. The Gypsy King is coming back, don’t worry about that!
“Usyk’s teams will ask for so much money and he already got so much for fighting twice in Saudi before. The last time I spoke to Usyk, he told me he wants ‘big money’.”
It is not just money that is delaying a third meeting between Usyk and Fury in the squared circle, however. British heavyweight Fabio Wardley is next in line for a WBO title shot after knocking out Joseph Parker.
The WBO have ordered Usyk to defend his belt against Wardley in early 2026. Back in July, Fury had suggested he will fight Usyk at Wembley in April 2026.
But the WBO’s order puts a huge stumbling block in front of those hopes. His promoter Frank Warren said to Sky Sports in the same month: “We’ll see [if Fury returns] but he likes that fight [vs Usyk] and he wants that fight, and they were close fights by the way.
“Anything can happen in this business, maybe that fight can be made if indeed Usyk wants to do it and Tyson wants to do it. I’m sure there’d be an appetite for it.”
Usyk defended his belts by knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley in July but his adviser Serhii Lapin shut down the possibility of a trilogy fight with Usyk last month: “Serhii Lapin. “Theoretically, it’s an interesting option, but for whom?
“If boxing fans truly support it, then maybe. However, in my opinion, that chapter is already closed.” Usyk, who turns 39 in January, is currently recovering from a back injury and has stated he plans to continue boxing until the age of 41.
“I train every day.I train with the goal of entering the ring next year and, with God’s help, winning,” the Ukrainian said to UNN. “I will box until I am 41. And then I will build a sports academy and train there, and I will train there.”