Tyson Fury Targets World Title, Plans Retirement Again

Former WBC champion returns in April aiming to reclaim a belt before stepping away once more

Tyson Fury says this comeback has a single goal. Reclaim a world title and retire again. He returns in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov to begin that run.

Fury, 37, stepped away after consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, losses that cost him the WBC belt and his unbeaten record. Now he wants to reinsert himself into the title picture and leave on top.

In an interview with FurociTV, Fury laid out the year he believes would complete the mission.

“The perfect year would be to smash Makhmudov to pieces, then smash Anthony Joshua to pieces and then win the world title at the end of the year, whether it is off Usyk or if it is off the Dubois-Wardley winner.

“That would be a good year, then I would retire again. Take two more years out, come back at 40 and do it all again, and so on and so forth.”

The objective is direct. Beat Makhmudov. Secure a major summer fight. Position himself for a sanctioned title shot before the year closes. Then walk away again. Maybe return.

“When boxing dies a death again, [I will] come back, bring it all back, bring the biggest broadcasting network in the world. Let’s go, 2026, here we come. Big year.”

The heavyweight title picture is jammed up. Usyk holds the WBC strap. The IBF mandatory is up, and once that challenger is called, the champion answers or vacates. Dubois and Wardley are sitting in that mandatory slot, gloves on, waiting for the sanctioning body to enforce the shot.

The WBC is not likely to step around its mandatory challenger unless there is serious money on the table, and the IBF almost never shifts its rotation once a contender is in line for his shot.

Beating Makhmudov in a stay-busy fight does not slide Fury past a mandatory challenger. He would need the right money on the table, the right broadcaster backing it, and a sanctioning body willing to approve a direct shot without forcing him through an eliminator.

If he wants that belt back, his conditioning has to carry him through twelve hard rounds against a champion who can step around him and fire counters off the reset. At heavyweight, once belts are in play, one clean mistake is often the difference between walking out with gold or staring at the canvas.

He says he wants one more reign. Then retirement. Again. April is the first step.