Fury has told promoter Frank Warren that he wants another fight with Oleksandr Usyk, the man who beat him twice, in 2024. Warren says the motivation is simple. Fury “wants to be the best. He loves it,” Warren said Sky Sports. He is, in Warren’s words, “a fighting man.”
Back to the same target
Fury returns to the UK on April 11 against Arslanbek Makhmudov after nearly two years away from the ring. He retired after the second Usyk loss, only to reverse course and announce another run. The goal is to become a three-time world champion. The practical purpose is more difficult to define.
Usyk still holds the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. He has vacated the WBO belt, which leaves alternative routes open for Fury. Warren mentioned other names in a suddenly crowded division, including WBO titlist Fabio Wardley. Rising heavyweight Moses Itauma will face Jermaine Franklin on March 28 after their bout was postponed earlier in the year.
Still, Fury’s focus remains on Usyk.
Warren insists Fury has already “cemented his legacy” and doesn’t need to fight. That may be true. Fury is a two-time heavyweight champion who beat Wladimir Klitschko and dethroned Deontay Wilder twice. His place in the era is secure. The problem is that the last chapter people remember is Usyk reinventing himself twice on the biggest stage.
A heavy puncher who will outlast most opponents on the night, Makhmudov is not making a soft re-entry. Warren called it a difficult return after a long layoff. If Fury struggles, the Usyk talk cools off quickly. If he wins cleanly, the trilogy claim gets tougher.
When is enough?
There is a fundamental sporting question hanging over this return. Fury has already had two chances to solve the Usyk mystery; he was decisively beaten both times. A third attempt feels less like a quest for greatness and more like a quest for personal closure.
While Fury remains obsessed with the one man he couldn’t beat, the rest of the heavyweight division has moved on. Fans will ultimately decide whether a trilogy is a compelling quest for redemption or simply a third fight that the division may not need.
For now, Fury’s focus is narrow: he wants the best, and for him that means Usyk. Whether the fans or the rankings agree is another matter.
