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Tyson Fury has revealed that the deaths of two close friends of his long-time rival, Anthony Joshua, played a key role in his decision to return to boxing.
Fury is set to make his comeback on 11 April after a 15-month absence, when he faces Russian-born heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 37-year-old had announced his retirement following a second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk at the end of 2024 and went an entire year without a bout before confirming his latest return on 4 January.
His decision came just a week after Joshua was involved in a car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
“Tomorrow might not ever come, and I suppose the biggest turning point in this comeback for me was the tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua,” Fury said on Monday.
“You should never put things off until tomorrow, or next year, or next week because tomorrow is not promised to nobody.”
As a result, any long-anticipated plans for a Fury–Joshua showdown in 2026 have now been put on hold.
Fury, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, also said his return was motivated by a desire to restore excitement to the sport.
“The truth of the matter is I came back for one reason only and that’s to make boxing great again,” added Fury.
“Since I’ve retired for the fifth time over a year ago, boxing for me has gone on a downward slope and it’s become quite boring.”
