Tyson Fury’s retirement is apparently over after he announced his trilogy fight versus unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is set for April 18, 2026, at London’s Wembley Stadium.
“The Gypsy King” dropped the bombshell via Instagram on Thursday. However, sources with knowledge of the situation reportedly have indicated that nothing is finalized and talks remain ongoing.
Tyson Fury announced he will leave retirement to fight Oleksandr Usyk for a third time. (Photo by … More
Just one day earlier, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and owner of Ring Magazine, said Fury would make a comeback in 2026.
Back in January, the 36-year-old former champ said that he was hanging up his gloves for good. It marked the fifth time the Brit had announced his intention to retire, but this time it seemed like a real possibility because of his age.
Usyk must first defend his crown against Daniel Dubois on July 19, and if he does, Sergey Lapin, head of Team Usyk and his company Ready to Fight, said the Ukrainian would lock in the trilogy with Fury.
“The idea of a third fight with Tyson Fury has been on the table between our teams ever since their second bout. And I have never had any doubt that, together with Goldstar Promotions, we could turn it into a reality,” Lapin said in a statement to ESPN.
It had looked like Fury would leave retirement and fight Anthony Joshua in a British megafight, but Fury pivoted back to Usyk.
“Who would I rather fight right now? Usyk,” Fury told media.”Because I want my revenge in England. That’s all I want. I want a fair shout and I don’t believe I’ve got a fair shout the last two times.”
Fury battled Usyk twice in 2024 and lost both times on points. In Round 9 of their first fight, Fury nearly got KO’d. Here’s flashback of Usyk’s onslaught:
Fury’s two defeats to Usyk are the only losses in his career, which stands at 34-2-1 (24KOs), while Usyk (23-0-0) has never lost.
If the trilogy fight falls through, Fury conceded that he could reengage talks with Joshua for a match at Wembley Stadium.
“If I don’t get that, then it would be Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen. It would break records, and it would sell out 100,000 at Wembley in an hour,” he said. “It’s a fight that I think can happen for sure if I decide to come back and if the deal’s right.”