Tyson Fury has teased a fight against long-time British rival Anthony Joshua just months after quitting boxing.
Fury, 36, announced his retirement after losing consecutive bouts against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Although competitive in both, he said he was hanging up his gloves in the aftermath of a unanimous points decision loss to the Ukrainian in Riyadh last December.
However, in the past few weeks Fury sparked talk of a comeback with a series of social media posts showing him back in training.
That went up a level on Monday after he posted a video of him reuniting with his trainer SugarHill Steward and declaring: “You know what's coming.”
Few observers believed Fury when he said he was retiring. The Morecambe heavyweight (34-2-1) has walked away from boxing numerous times over the years only to return to the sport.
And, in an era of big money heavyweight bouts, the lure of what would likely be a career-high payday to take on Joshua is surely too strong to resist.
Fury has worked with Steward since ditching Ben Davison in 2019, with the partnership helping propel him back to the top of the division.
“Just in the gym. Happened to bump into somebody you might know,” Fury said, turning the camera to Steward, who replied: “You know what time it is,” before Fury added: “You know what's coming.”
It is also no coincidence that Fury's attention-seeking post arrived in the middle of press activity for July's upcoming rematch between Usyk and Daniel Dubois. With the eyes of the media on heavyweight boxing, there was no better time for him to tease a ring return.
A showdown between Fury and Joshua has always been the endgame for both men, especially now with their career prospects terminally damaged but their celebrity still burning brightly.
Twice beaten by Usyk and toying with retirement, it's the only fight that could bring Fury back, while the same goes for Joshua (28-4), who at this stage is unlikely to launch another rebuild following his devastating September 2024 defeat to Dubois.
Despite their setbacks, a bout between the two most famous heavyweights of this era remains one of the biggest commercial opportunities in boxing.
It is said to be on a short wish list drawn up by Netflix, with the streaming giants keen to explore live combat sports options following the success of the Mike Tyson v Jake Paul exhibition bout which drew a staggering 60 million households worldwide last November.
Netflix has already confirmed it will screen the third instalment of Katie Taylor's rivalry with Amanda Serrano in July, while there have been strong rumours of them making a play for the planned September showdown between 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford, as well as a Joshua-Fury bout should it ever materialise.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn welcomed Netflix's interest in boxing but said a deal would need to be struck with Dazn if they wanted to broadcast one of his fights.
“AJ is exclusive to Dazn,” Hearn told the Stomping Ground YouTube channel. “That would be a decision for Dazn, if there was a relationship with Netflix, I don't know...
“Netflix in boxing is amazing. [Jake Paul's promotional company] MVP has done a brilliant job with that. Taylor v Serrano is going to be huge, as was the last one on the undercard of Tyson-Paul, so I guess [Netflix] are looking for those big moments, and there is nothing bigger than AJ v Fury, but right now we know that is not an option.”
Surly Dubois has warning for Usyk
Britain's Dubois again showed his newly discovered mean streak when he met up with old foe Usyk this week.
On Sunday it was announced that the two will fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown at London's Wembley Stadium on July 19.
Usyk (23-0), holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts and is seeking to become a four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time, while Britain's Dubois (22-2) is the IBF holder.
Usyk has faced Dubois before, earning a controversial ninth-round knockout win in Wroclaw, Poland, in August 2023 after being given time to recover from what the referee ruled to have been a low blow.
Back then Dubois could cut a timid figure and he was accused of quitting in defeat to Joe Joyce and against Usyk when, fatigued and exasperated, he stayed down after being dropped by a jab.
He has rebounded with wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua, discovering a meanness in and out of the ring in the process.
That was on display again when he shoved and insulted Usyk on Monday at a photocall on the Wembley turf.
The 27-year-old says he is ready to take his revenge. “I should have won the first fight and was denied by the judgement of the referee, so I will make no mistake this time around in front of my people at the national stadium in my home city,” said Dubois. “I am a superior and more dangerous fighter now and Usyk will find this out for himself on July 19.”
Usyk described Dubois' shove as a sign of weakness and said he looked forward to beating him again and reclaiming the IBF strap.
“I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to once again fight for the undisputed championship,” said the 38-year-old Ukrainian. “Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt – now I want it back.”
Usyk has said he will fight twice this year before retiring.
