Tyson Fury has announced his return from retirement to “make boxing great again,” asserting that the sport has not been the same during his absence.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) is set to face Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The bout will be promoted by Ring Magazine and will be available for live streaming on Netflix.
The 37-year-old has not competed since December 2024, when he suffered his second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
After more than a year away from the ring, following his latest retirement announcement in January 2025, Fury expressed that his return aims to enhance the sport.
“I returned for one purpose only: To make boxing great again. Since I stepped away from boxing a year ago, the sport has declined for me. It has become rather dull,” Fury stated at a news conference on Monday.
“Boxing reaches its highest potential when Tyson Fury is actively competing. I didn’t say that, AI, Chat GPT [did]. So take it as fact.
“With me, I brought the largest streaming platform in the world, Netflix. My first fight back will be in a 60,000-seat stadium. I bring excitement, entertainment, action, cameras, everything to the sport. I enjoyed my retirement. I produced ‘At Home with the Furys’ Season 2, made a documentary, traveled the globe with my family, enjoyed a few private jets, yachts … I was having a great time.
“However, there comes a time when you simply want to return to work. My vocation will always be the fight game, regardless of my age.”
Fury also expressed his ambition to become a three-time heavyweight world champion, joining the ranks of Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis as the only male boxers to achieve this feat.
The “Gypsy King” was in high spirits at the news conference and remarked that it felt good to be back.
“I’m aiming to put on a spectacular show. I want an explosive knockout, and I believe I will achieve that on April 11; I’m going to knock him out,” Fury declared.
“To walk away with so much left in the tank … I was always destined to return. Even if I didn’t believe it myself, when I retired over a year ago, I truly thought I would never come back to boxing.
“But after taking a year off and experiencing life, I’ve realized that I have a deep love for boxing; it’s an integral part of me.”
