ANALYZING TYSON FURY’S PATH TO A 2026 MEGA-FIGHT WITH ANTHONY JOSHUA
Tyson Fury officially ends retirement for a 2026 return. Explore the latest on the potential Wembley showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Tyson Fury’s back. After months of hinting at a comeback, he’s finally made it official—he’s coming out of retirement to fight again.
Fury hasn’t stepped into the ring since his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. That was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and not long after, he said he was done with boxing.
But all through the second half of 2025, Fury kept dropping hints on social media that he wasn’t finished yet. This Sunday, he stopped teasing and just came out with it on Instagram.
Here’s what he said: “2026 is that year, Return of the Mac. Been away for a while, but I’m back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face & get paid for it.”
Fury (34-2-1) already pulled off one massive comeback. He went from nearly 400 pounds and struggling with his mental health to reclaiming the heavyweight throne in early 2020. This time, things look a little different. He’s 37 now, settled with his wife, Paris, and their seven kids, and doesn’t need to worry about money again.
So, what’s next? All signs point to the fight everyone’s been waiting for—Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. These two have been circling each other for at least five years, always seeming close to a mega-fight, but something kept getting in the way.
Back in 2021, they even announced a two-fight deal. Then Deontay Wilder won an arbitration case and forced Fury into a third fight, blowing up the plan.
Now, it finally feels real. People are talking about Wembley Stadium in September 2026. Both Fury and Joshua were supposed to have tune-up bouts earlier in the year to warm up for the big one.
But right now, nobody’s talking much about Joshua and boxing. Last week, he survived a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his closest friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Joshua’s still grieving, and it’s hard to imagine him jumping straight back into fight camp. There was talk about a February 14 bout with kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, but after what happened, that’s pretty much off the table.
If Fury and Joshua do finally meet, there won’t be any belts on the line—neither guy holds a title these days. But the payday? Both could pocket at least £100 million.
And Usyk? He’s still unbeaten, still holding the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts, after recently giving up the WBO title to Britain’s Fabio Wardley.
Just to recap: Fury’s last fight was that unanimous decision loss to Usyk in Riyadh, December 2024. Now, at 37, he’s gearing up for one more run.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
