Tyson Fury has always talked about the heavyweight division as if it were a private card that only he could read. His latest comments about a return in 2026 follow the same pattern. Three names. Three different paths. And very little certainty as to which, if any, will still be standing when he actually laces up the gloves again.
Fury retired from boxing after a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, a loss that settled the competitive issue even as it left the commercial one unresolved. He spent all of 2025 out of the ring, popping up only occasionally through training clips and loose talk. By the end of the year, the familiar rumors returned. So are the famous names.
Anthony Joshua sits at the top of Fury’s wish list, at least in theory. That battle has hovered over the division for years, more than timing sustained by money and nostalgia. But Joshua’s recent car accident, which tragically claimed the lives of two close friends, has shifted the conversation entirely. According to his family, Joshua told them he intended to retire. Whether that decision holds is almost beside the point. For now, this removes the battle from any realistic planning.
Usyk remain the second name. He holds three of the four major heavyweight titles and has already beaten Fury twice. A third fight would demand more than interest. This will require Fury to put himself into the picture competitively, something that cannot be done on reputation alone. Usyk’s calendar is already full of legacy considerations. Fury is no longer first in line.
It leaves Fabio Wardleythe newly crowned WBO champion, as the most tangible option. Fury acknowledged this, naming Wardley as a possible opponent after a lengthy layoff. This is an honest admission. Wardley has the belt. He has momentum. And unlike the other two names, he is available.
Of course, the risk only runs in one direction. Wardley would win everything from the fight. Fury would step right back into danger against a younger, active champion with little to lose. The upside is historical rather than strategic.
Fury has returned before. He has won titles after absence before. But this time the split is less forgiving, and the exits are narrower. Naming opponents is easy. Making one of those fights happen, and surviving it, is something else entirely.
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Last updated on 01/06/2026
