Tyson Fury Announces His Next Opponent as Comeback Fight and Date Revealed
The former heavyweight champion has officially confirmed who and when he will fight later this year.
Tyson Fury's official boxing comeback has been confirmed for later this year.
After his second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, Fury announced his retirement from boxing, claiming that he was finally hanging up the gloves having previously retired several times.
Of course, less than 18 months later, the 37-year-old confirmed that he would be returning to fight later this year.
Several big names were linked as Fury's potential opponent for his comeback fight, with many fans hoping we could finally see a 'Battle of Britain' against fellow heavyweight legend Anthony Joshua.
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But now, Fury's comeback has officially been announced, with the former heavyweight champion set to return to the ring in just three months.
With a potential fight against Joshua expected to take place later in the year, it was widely expected that Fury would take a tune-up fight in the early part of 2026 to shake off any ring rust before a big fight later in the year.
And, as revealed by Ring Magazine, the former champion will look to do just that when he returns to face Arslanbek Makhmudov in The Ring’s heavyweight showdown on April 11th.
The fight card will be broadcast live on Netflix and take place in the United Kingdom, becoming the first live boxing event broadcast by the streaming platform in the UK and Fury's first home fight in nearly four years.
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Reacting to the announcement, Fury said: "Excited to be back. Heart's always been and always will be in boxing. Someone go tell the king that the ace is back!"
Meanwhile Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh said: "We are happy that Tyson decided to come out of retirement for what should be an exciting heavyweight clash against Makhmudov."
The specific venue for the fight and the undercard are yet to be announced, but it has been confirmed that both will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Who is Arslanbek Makhmudov?
Canada-based Russian heavyweight Makhmudov boasts a record of 21 wins, 19 of which are via knockout, and just two losses at the hands of Agit Kabayel in December 2023 and Guido Vianello in August 2024.
In his last fight Makhmudov defeated British heavyweight David Allen in a dominant points win at the Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, claiming the WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
Reacting to the fight with Fury, he said: "I am thrilled about the opportunity. I'm coming to deliver a War. Tyson Fury has been a big champion. I will be more ready than ever to leave with a massive W."
Makhmudov was strongly rumoured to be Fury's next opponent after Spencer Brown, the Gypsy King's manager, confirmed that the 36-year-old was in the top three or four options for Fury's comeback.
Topics: Tyson Fury, Boxing
Ben McCrum