The ‘Gypsy King’ announced his retirement from boxing for a fifth time last January, but once again, the Brit looks set to make yet another return to the ring
Tyson Fury has performed a retirement U-turn – AGAIN – and is targeting yet another return to the ring this year.
The ‘Gypsy King’ announced his retirement for the fifth time last January following back-to-back defeats to long-time rival Oleksandr Usyk. He has since expanded his property empire as well as spending 2025 filming the second series of his Netflix show ‘At Home With The Furys.’
However, it seems as if he has got an itch he quite simply refuses to ignore. Rather than celebrating the new year in some style, the former two-time heavyweight champion instead opted to travel across the globe and improve his arsenal over in Thailand. The 37-year-old has been seen training alongside fellow professional boxer Kevin Lerena ahead of a mammoth comeback.
Fury has not remained quiet either, after revealing a three-man hit list for his 2026 return – which includes potential fights with Anthony Joshua and Fabio Wardley, as well as a trilogy bout with Usyk. As of yet, it’s merely speculation, as his return date has yet to be revealed. One thing is for sure, though, he is seemingly set to end yet another retirement. And so, Mirror Fighting takes a look at the four previous times the Morecambe scrapper has decided to down tools and call it a day.
First retirement – November 20, 2013
Fury first called it quits back in 2013, insisting that he was done with the sport after his fight with David Haye was cancelled for a second time. The ‘Gypsy King’ had been scheduled to face the former two-weight world champion first in September and then in February, but was cancelled after Haye suffered a number of injuries.
Following the cancellation, it did not take long for Fury to take to social media to announce that he was completely done with the sport of boxing. “Hi everyone, I have officially retired from boxing. There’s too many b*** people in the sport. They will have to f*** someone else. Goodbye boxing,” he wrote.
However, his outburst only lasted a few weeks before he was back in the ring. The following February, he took on Joey Abell at the Copper Box in London. The 37-year-old put on a clinic on fight night, and went on to knock his rival out in the fourth round, before eventually deciding to move on with his career.
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Second retirement – October 3, 2016
Two years after first retirement, Fury would go on to become a world champion for the first time in his career when he snatched the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, titles off Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in a monumental upset. However, the Brit endured some serious struggles outside of the ring – which saw him fall into a deep depression and spend the best part of three years out of action.
Fury ballooned to almost 400lb and struggled with mental health problems. Over the next year or so, he took to social media on several occasions, stating that he was finished with the sport, first in October 2016, which he quickly claimed was a prank. He ended up vacating his WBA, WBO and IBO belts, pending an investigation on a UK Anti-Doping case about his drug use. Not long after, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) suspended Fury’s boxing licence.
Third retirement – August 1, 2017
The ‘Gypsy King’ stunned fans with the following post in 2017: “Been very blessed in my life and career achieve the utmost in boxing, was a epic journey along the way,” he said in a social media post that has since been deleted. “Thanks to all the fans that supported & believed in me along the way. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. THE END.”
After constant exchanges with UK Anti-Doping and the BBBoC, Fury’s boxing licence was reinstated in January 2018. The boxing star returned to the ring in May of that year, defeating Sefer Seferi. Two months later, he took on Francesco Pianeta, and would go on to score a points victory in Belfast.
One of his toughest career challenges followed as he was then tasked with toppling the dangerous knockout artist in Deontay Wilder. The 37-year-old did not win on the judges’ scorecards that night, after the bout was scored as a draw, but fans were left in awe of his inspirational performance over in Los Angeles.
Fourth retirement – April 23, 2022
Following his draw with Wilder, Fury decided to get his head down and get back to the drawing board – as opposed to constantly flirting with the idea of retirement. Wins over Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin followed before he was back in the ring with Wilder back in 2020. In an epic slogfest, the ‘Gypsy King’ claimed the WBC title with a stunning knockout victory over the ‘Bronze Bomber’ in the seventh round.
He then put a rubber stamp on their historic rivalry by knocking Wilder out again a year later. Fury was then rewarded with a UK homecoming dust-up with Dillian Whyte in front of over 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. The Brit needed just six rounds to render his adversary unconscious. “I have fulfilled everything I’ve ever wanted to fulfil,” he said after his win over the ‘Body Snatcher.’
Fury was certain on his retirement, posting several months later: “I’ve finally decided to walk away & on my 34th birthday I say Bon voyage.” On the same day of the post, the ‘Gypsy King’ relinquished his Ring title. Surprise, surprise, the Brit did not fool anyone as he was back in the ring before the end of 2022 – when he defeated Derek Chisora in an unnecessary trilogy fight.