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Tyson Fury returns - Why the 2026 version of Fury is only targeting Anthony Joshua
Boxing fans had been here before with Tyson Fury.
Ending a lengthy period of inactivity to make a grand return, the former world champion displayed there was still something left with a wide points win over a game Arslanbek Makhmudov, but this comeback is unlikely to bring the same world title successes that awaited Fury when rebounding from exile in 2018.
Today, Fury is a 37-year-old fighter, the age when retirement has occurred for many boxers and also an age when the exit door is beckoning those who are still active. Fury has more than enough quality and experience to get past the Makhmudovs of a changing heavyweight division, but after a long, torturous career that began almost two decades ago, can he really be motivated by anybody other than Anthony Joshua?
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Fury was impressive in bursts against Makhmudov, but there was likely a reason why the Eastern European was selected as Fury’s opponent. Heavy-handed but predictable, Makhmudov’s lack of speed, both with feet and hands, have been blindingly obvious when he has been forced to step up in class in previous encounters.
Makhmudov had bludgeoned his way to 18 straight victories on his brutal ascent up the heavyweight rankings, but he was badly exposed by Agit Kabayel in 2023, stopped in four one-sided rounds before suffering a similar fate against Guido Vianello the following year.
A win over Dave Allen in a sold out Sheffield Arena last October chipped away at some necessary rebuilding work as Makhmudov proved he could do a hard 12 rounds, but Fury from Allen is a huge leap and although Makhmudov was willing to let his hands go against Fury, the man from Morecambe likely could've had another 16 months off and still possessed the necessary skillset to get past Makhmudov.
That poses the question to where his most recent victory places him in the heavyweight pecking order or do the rankings even matter as it appears his sole focus is Joshua rather than cleaning up the heavyweight titles that he once held so proudly?
DAZNWhen Fury returned in the summer of 2018 to defeat Sefer Seferi, he made it clear that reclaiming the heavyweight crown he had ripped from the head of Wladimir Klitschko three years earlier was his main priority. The landscape at heavyweight is vastly different now, and after immediately calling out Joshua, a fight which could've happened any time in the last eight years, the thought of titles is seemingly miles away for the man who was lineal champion for nine long years, and that might be a good thing.
In Oleksandr Usyk, the man atop the heavyweight pile at the moment, Fury has no real business facing a man who has already beaten him twice unless there was major demand for what would largely be considered a pointless trilogy meeting.
Needing pauses against Makhmudov, understandable after almost 18 months out the ring, could Fury, who will likely be 38 the next time he fights, be forced to fight at the relentless pace set by Fabio Wardley, the current WBO ruler, or Daniel Dubois, who collide on May 9? Both men are younger than Fury, but with one of them set to be world champion next month, that belt could appeal if Fury does want to become a three-time champion.
And then what about Moses Itauma? The man who is so close to filling the void created by Fury and Joshua as the biggest draw in British boxing. Heavyweight boxing requires superstars for the entire sport to thrive and in Itauma, it’s a certainty that he will be the face of boxing for many years considering he is still only 21 years of age. Fury may want to see what all the fuss is about in a potential torch-passing moment, but with the power to control his own destiny, is a menacing, dangerous youngster really the way to go?
That leaves Joshua. Fury’s eternal rival despite the pair never sharing the ring together, and the right fight for each man to shake hands afterwards and depart from the sport they've given so much to. Fury stated in the press conference following Makhmudov that Joshua is the only fight he wants moving forward. After observing the lay of the land elsewhere, it might be the best decision he could make for what’s left of his career.
Watch Whittaker vs. Suarez only on DAZN
One of boxing's brightest prospects will headline in Liverpool on April 18 as Ben Whittaker faces Braian Suarez. Whittaker is hoping to be a world champion in the next year and he can take one step closer when he faces Suarez. DAZN is the only place you can watch the fight.
