Tyson Fury Is Back. Again.

Not even a full calendar year after his latest retirement, Tyson Fury has decided that retirement is once again not for him, which at this point feels less like a career development and more like a recurring seasonal allergy.

The last time we saw Fury in anything resembling a meaningful fight, Oleksandr Usyk beat him thoroughly in December 2024. Not controversially. Not debatably. Thoroughly. The sort of loss that leaves a fighter talking about legacy within minutes and retirement within hours.

Fury did both. He talked about a trilogy. He talked about injustice. He talked about destiny. Then he retired. Again. This was retirement number four or five, depending on how strict you are with your accounting and how much caffeine you have had.

When Usyk declined the idea of a third fight, Fury’s interest in continuing also declined. This felt logical. It also felt familiar.

Then the British boxing world did what it always does and started whispering about Anthony Joshua. The whispers turned into optimism. The optimism turned into leaked timelines. For a brief stretch, it felt like the fight that has been “close” for nearly a decade was, once again, close.

Joshua complicated things by stopping Jake Paul, then calling Fury out with the enthusiasm of a man who knew the cameras were rolling. It worked. It always works. Boxing loves a callout. It especially loves one that might never need to be honored.

Then tragedy entered the picture. Joshua’s involvement in a fatal car crash left his future in the sport unclear, and suddenly, the British mega fight went back where it always ends up. Nowhere.

Which is where Fury thrives.

On Sunday morning, Fury did what Fury does best. He posted. He punched a heavy bag. He smiled. He typed like a man who believes self-awareness is optional. He announced that 2026 would be his year, that he was back, that at 37, he still enjoys punching men in the face for money. This was meant to sound defiant. It mostly sounded honest.

At no point did he explain why this return is different from the last one. That would have required effort.

So, who does Fury actually fight if he returns?

Joshua remains the obvious answer in theory and a fantasy in practice. Without that, the options thin out quickly. One idea floating around is Fabio Wardley, who currently holds the WBO heavyweight title after Usyk vacated it. It makes sense on paper. It makes sense politically. It makes sense in the way boxing often defines sense.

Beat Wardley, pick up a belt, reopen the Usyk conversation, pretend the previous two fights did not happen. Boxing has sold worse ideas with more confidence.

This is not a triumphant comeback story. It is not a redemption arc. It is a familiar loop being entered again by a fighter who has never been able to leave the sport alone for long, even when the sport clearly moved on without him.

Fury is coming back because Fury always comes back. That is the whole explanation. And if history has taught us anything, it is that he will not stay retired long enough for anyone to believe him anyway.