Tyson Fury return date revealed with ‘four or five opponents’ in the running

Tyson Fury is closing in on a return to the ring after reversing his short-lived retirement.

‘The Gypsy King’ hung up his gloves in January last year following consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, but has since set up a training camp in Thailand, with a view to launching a comeback in the first quarter of 2026.

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Fury has been sparring with WBC bridgerweight champion Kevin Lerena and former K-1 cruiserweight title holder Liu Ce, with an announcement said to be imminent.

The Mancunian has ambitions to box Fabio Wardley and Anthony Joshua, but his handlers plan to ease Fury back in before taking on the upper echelons of the division.

Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, has confirmed that his client will likely box three times this year, with the first of those being a tune-up fight in April.

“There’s four or five different opponents we’re looking at [for Fury’s next fight],” Brown told Sky Sports.

“There’s a few that tweak our interest. We are really down the road with the contract.

“We’ve got a bit more work on it, but we’re down the road, and an announcement is imminent.

“You will see Tyson back in the ring, and we’re looking and talking at various opponents at this very moment. We’re looking to get out in April.”

The frontrunner at this stage is Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov, but he isn’t the only name in the running.

“I’d say he [Makhmudov] is in the top three or four, most definitely,” Brown added.

“We’re looking at five or six different opponents.

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“That’s not for me to announce; that’s for the promoter to announce.

“Everybody is working hard to get this fight underway.

“That wouldn’t be my position to announce that, but I can confirm he’s one of the three or four we are looking at very closely.”

Brown stopped short of revealing the other opponents being lined up for Fury.

The only other name that has been floated around is America’s Brandon Moore.

Moore’s promoter, Dmitry Salita, threw his client’s name into the ring to box Fury next, but it remains unclear if he is up for consideration.

The 31-year-old hasn’t beaten anyone of note during an understated 19-1 career, with his sole defeat coming via a fifth-round knockout to Olympic silver medallist Richard Torrez Jr in May 2024.