Tyson Fury says comeback will restore boxing, not chase Usyk

Fury avoids targeting Oleksandr Usyk while promoting Makhmudov fight

Tyson Fury says his comeback is not about reclaiming the undisputed heavyweight championship. Instead, he has described the April 11 fight as something he believes the sport needs right now.

Speaking while promoting his April 11 fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury made clear that his decision was rooted in his view that boxing declined without him.

Return built around Fury, not the championship

“I came back for one reason only and that’s to make boxing great again,” Fury said. “Since I retired for the fifth time over a year ago, boxing for me has gone on a downward slope. It’s become quite boring, and boxing is at its maximum potential when Tyson Fury’s actively fighting.”

The emphasis stayed on Fury’s importance to boxing rather than on reclaiming the championship. He did not speak about correcting the losses to Usyk or setting his sights on the undisputed title. Instead, his message centered on his return as an event in itself, with his activity presented as the change boxing needed.

That approach allows Fury to immediately reinsert himself into the division’s spotlight without resolving the outcome that removed him from the top. Usyk defeated Fury and left with the heavyweight championship, creating a new order in the division. Fury’s comeback begins with Makhmudov, a dangerous puncher but not the fighter currently holding boxing’s highest position.

The decision puts Fury back in circulation while leaving the championship picture intact. His presence alone brings attention, regardless of who holds the belts. That has long been one of Fury’s advantages, his ability to command the spotlight independent of rankings or title status.

At 37, Fury is returning after multiple retirements and reversals, a pattern that has become part of his career. Each comeback has restored his visibility and placed him back into boxing’s central conversation. This latest return follows the same pattern, with Fury presenting himself as essential to the sport’s health rather than as a challenger working his way back toward the championship.

Whether his comeback leads him back to the undisputed title remains unanswered. What is already clear is that Fury has returned on his own terms, with the focus placed squarely on him rather than on the fighter who replaced him at the top of the division.

Fury will face Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in his first fight since losing the undisputed heavyweight championship.