Published On: Fri, Oct 24th, 2025

Frank Warren confirms Tyson Fury's intention to return in 2026, Oleksandr Usyk trilogy is 'the fight he really wants'

Tyson Fury looks set to end another short-lived retirement and return to the ring in 2026.

Fury's promoter, Queensberry Promotions' Frank Warren, revealed Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that the former two-time heavyweight champion has communicated to him his intention to box again next year. Fury hasn't fought since back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

"He's indicated and said to me that he wants to fight," Warren said. "But at this particular moment in time, he's been filming his Netflix series. He's got a documentary as well, which he's filming for Netflix … But next year, he's stated to me that he wants to come back."

There has been a host of mixed reports on whether Fury would ever lace up the gloves again following his shock January retirement announcement. Saudi Arabian fight financier Turki Alalshikh said in July that Fury had promised him he'd box again in 2026, but since then, Fury has denied that would be the case.

British boxing has long clamored for a Fury vs. Anthony Joshua mega-fight. Both men will sit out for the whole of 2025, but are expected to return to action in 2026 — and it could finally be the time for them to share the squared circle. Warren, however, has told Uncrowned that Joshua does not sit at the top of Fury's wishlist of fights.

"He's said the fight he really wants is to fight Usyk again," Warren revealed. "That's the fight he said he wants. Everybody wants to see the fight [between] him and AJ, so there's a lot of options there for him — provided [Usyk] carries on fighting and wants to make the fight again, providing that terms can be agreed depending [on] where it's gonna take place. Is it gonna take place in Riyadh [or] is it gonna take place in the UK?

"There's loads of connotations, but I miss Tyson. He doesn't need to fight. Financially, he's well-off. I know his wife doesn't want him to fight, and I can understand why that is the case. But if he's going to [come back], I'd much rather he comes back now rather than comes back in 3 or 4 years' time [because] at least he's a younger man [right now] and he's not been out of the ring for so long."

"But we do miss him — he's colorful. When Tyson is around, it's lively. The press conferences are funny. There's always something going on. There's always a buzz about the fights."

Soccer Football - Soccer Aid charity match for Unicef - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - June 15, 2025 Tyson Fury before the match Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
Former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury eyes a return to the ring after hanging up his gloves earlier this year.
Action Images via Reuters / Reuters

Usyk, who stopped Daniel Dubois in July to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, is expected to have his next fight in the second quarter of 2026, and his opponent could well be determined Saturday at London's O2 Arena, where Warren is promoting the WBO interim title fight between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley.

"The WBO has already said that the winner of [Parker vs. Wardley] Oleksandr Usyk must defend his title against," Warren told Uncrowned. "If he doesn't do that, then he'll have to vacate it, or they'll strip him. The winner [of Parker vs. Wardley] becomes the interim champion, and he gets the opportunity."

The WBO had ordered Usyk to defend his title against Parker, but Usyk was able to delay the mandatory process through an injury exemption. Parker, who hadn't fought since stopping Martin Bakole in February, decided that he needed to stay active if Usyk was unavailable, and so he risks his guaranteed shot at the undisputed heavyweight title against the Ipswich knockout artist Wardley on Saturday.

Warren's Queensberry represents the majority of the top heavyweights in world boxing, and so it is fitting that they will end their 2025 campaign with a heavyweight-heavy card on Dec. 13 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England. Warren told Uncrowned that he hopes to announce the show on Saturday's Parker vs. Wardley DAZN pay-per-view broadcast. It is understood that Derek Chisora will feature on the bill, as could the 20-year-old sensation Moses Itauma, although Itauma's next step is currently unclear.

"The fight that's been ordered for him is [Kubrat] Pulev [for the WBA (Regular) title]," Warren said of Itauma. "The WBA has ordered that fight … Pulev doesn't want it. He's announced another fight to take place in Dubai against [Murat] Gassiev. From what I understand, the WBA hasn't sanctioned that, so this is all being determined, and we'll see where we go and what we decide to do.

"I'm dying to bring Moses over to the States. They're gonna love him there. He's an exciting young fighter, and for him to make his debut in America will be something special."

One of the biggest news stories in the boxing world in recent months has been the arrival of TKO — the parent company of UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing — and their backing of the controversial Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act

The California State Athletic Commission unanimously voted to support the Ali Revival Act this past week. Should the contentious piece of legislation come into law, it would allow TKO to create its own belt, operate its own rankings system, and remove the need for promoters to disclose financial elements of their shows to headlining fighters.

"The Ali Act is there for a reason," Warren insisted. "It's there to protect boxers. It's there to protect their welfare, their well-being, and things being in their favor in any negotiations. I'm quite sure Dana [White], being a smart guy, is very much aware of that, and they will work within the Muhammad Ali Act. I don't know if it's going to be amended or what, but whatever happens, I'm sure [whoever] is looking at [amending] it or passing any legislation on it will bear that in mind."

Warren is, however, more concerned about the rumored changes TKO is planning to make inside the ring. White has said in recent months that he is planning to rebuild what he believes is a broken sport from the ground up, including a new design for a boxing ring and potential changes to the rules.

"Things I've heard — and I don't know whether they're true or not — about [TKO changing] the ring size and the gloves and all that," Warren began. "I've been in the business for 48 years, promoting: 45 years with the [British] Boxing Board of Control and three years outside of that. I've seen lots of things happen in that time. I'm an old geezer, I've been around a long time.

"I look at things like where fights were 15 rounds, where weigh-ins were on the day of the shows, and they changed the duration of the fights to 12 rounds. They changed the weigh-ins to the day [before] the fight, and that was for specific reasons because of fatalities, injuries, protecting the boxers … The size of the gloves was also increased for some of the fights for obvious reasons. The ring size — there was a minimum size for rings for championship fights.

"As long as things like that are not tampered with or in any way can cause any problems or put the boxer in any more jeopardy in what is a dangerous sport, then fine. As long as everybody's got their eye on the ball concerning that, that's where I come from on it."

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