The opponents that could battle Tyson Fury on his return

Tyson Fury is officially returning from retirement again to fight in 2026 after leaving the sport in January. 

Turki Alalshikh initially broke the news, teasing a trilogy fight with the former undisputed champion, Oleksandr Usyk, whom he called a ‘rabbit’.

Alalshikh said of Fury: “I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh season 2026. We have a rabbit to hunt.” 

Fury is coming off two consecutive losses to the Ukrainian and has revenge on his mind. 

The former two-time heavyweight champion posted to his Instagram in true Fury fashion, announcing and perhaps prematurely confirming a trilogy fight with Usyk at Wembley Stadium on April 18, 2026. 

Speaking at an International Boxing Association (IBA) show in Istanbul, Fury believes that he did not get a fair shake in both of his clashes with Usyk in Saudi Arabia and wants any conclusion to their trilogy to take place in England.

Fury said: “Who would I rather fight now? Usyk. Because I want my revenge in England. That's all I want, I want my fair shout and I don't believe I've got a fair shout the last two times." 

Usyk, however, has other things on his mind with an undisputed clash with Daniel Dubois on the horizon. Who else could Fury return to fight if a third fight with Usyk is not on the table? 

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Anthony Joshua 

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is a fight that has been mooted since Fury’s return to boxing in 2018 and has somehow never been completed as one of, if not the biggest, fight in British boxing history. 

Fury believes the fight is just as big as it would have been, had it been an all-British undisputed heavyweight showdown, despite the lack of trinkets on the line. 

At the IBA event yesterday, before anything was officially announced, Fury made it clear that Usyk was his top priority, but said if the opportunity for revenge was not possible, he would take a fight with Joshua. 

Fury said: “[Usyk’s] the one I want, but if I don’t get that, then it’d be Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen.”

He added: “It would break all records, and it would sell out 100,000 at Wembley in an hour. And it’s a fight I think can happen, for sure, if I decide to come back.” 

Daniel Dubois 

Although the IBF heavyweight champion is not on Fury’s radar, it could be a fight that is a possibility for Fury if Daniel Dubois pulls off an upset on July 19 and becomes the undisputed heavyweight champion. 

Fury briefly addressed Dubois and said: "If I did come back, hypothetically speaking, if I was to return and I was to box Daniel Dubois, he wouldn't land a glove on me - it would be a one-sided beat down."

He concluded: "Styles make fights, and his style and my style don't gel. I would absolutely annihilate him."

Dubois has forged an impressive resurgence since his loss to Usyk in 2023, beating Jarrell Miller and Anthony Joshua to cement himself as a star at the top of the heavyweight division. That could make him a big enough draw for Fury to consider taking the risk against the heavy hitter from London.

If Fury’s claim of a confirmed date at Wembley next year is true, then this would be Dubois’s third consecutive headline show there in under 18 months. 

Jake Paul 

Although it may be farcical to suggest that the YouTuber-turned-boxer could enter the ring with a man of Fury’s size and pedigree, Jake Paul has undeniably taken the boxing world by storm. 

Paul already has experience being in the ring with a former undisputed heavyweight champion when he controversially fought an aged Mike Tyson in November last year. 

Fury has mentioned Jake Paul, addressing the rumours that there could be a potential fight between him and Joshua, calling the fight a '50/50'. 

The former WBC champion said: “I think it’s a good fight, I think it’s a real 50/50 fight.” 

Crossover fights are not beyond the remit of Fury, having fought the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2023. 

Watch Usyk vs Dubois 2 exclusively live on DAZN PPV, Saturday, July 19 for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here