Tyson Fury set to end retirement and fight in 2026, says Turki Alalshikh
Tyson Fury's latest attempt at retirement appears to have been as unsuccessful as his previous ones.
Saudi Arabian boxing financier Turki Alalshikh announced Wednesday afternoon that the former unified heavyweight champion is set to return to the ring sometime next year.
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"The 'Gypsy King' will be back!!! I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh Season in 2026 ... We have a rabbit to hunt," Alalshikh posted on social media.
Fury, a two-time heavyweight world champion, hasn't laced up his gloves since suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. The Brit announced his most recent retirement from boxing this past January, though few expected it to last — and those skeptics appear to have been proven right.
"The Gypsy King" lambasted the judges' scorecards after both his first and second fights with Usyk, believing that he deserved to be the winner on both occasions. In a cryptic message as part of his January retirement video, Fury further alluded to this by proclaiming, "Dick Turpin wore a mask" — reiterating his frustration with the scoring of both Usyk fights.
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Although some expected Fury to come out of retirement for a lucrative all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua, Alalshikh's "rabbit" reference suggests that a trilogy contest between Fury and Usyk could be in the plans. Fury frequently described the Ukrainian pound-for-pound No. 1 as a rabbit in the lead-up to their fights.
IBF orders Dmitry Bivol vs. Michael Eifert
In other news, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) formally ordered the unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defend his titles next against his mandatory challenger, Michael Eifert.
Eifert's promoter, SES Boxing, announced the decision on Wednesday morning. Uncrowned has since confirmed the news with multiple sources.
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Bivol dethroned Artur Beterbiev of his undisputed championship in their brilliant rematch this past February. Beterbiev initially defeated Bivol to unify the four titles in October 2024, although many felt that Bivol was unlucky not to get the nod on that occasion as well.
The pound-for-pound star's reign as undisputed titleholder was short-lived. Bivol, 34, vacated the WBC belt in April to pursue a trilogy fight with Beterbiev following the sanctioning body's decision to order him to face David Benavidez next. A third fight between Bivol and Beterbiev is expected to come later this year.
Dmitry Bivol may soon lose another title outside of the ring.
(Mark Robinson via Getty Images)
Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs) was victorious in an IBF final eliminator against Jean Pascal in March 2023. The German has had to wait more than two years for his crack at a world championship due to unification fights and the slow-moving nature of the division.
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The IBF originally ordered Beterbiev vs. Eifert following Beterbiev's win over Bivol, but retracted their decision to allow the undisputed title rematch to take place. It is unlikely that the IBF will rescind its order again for a third fight between the light heavyweight greats, and so Bivol could be forced to vacate another belt.
Should the IBF championship be relinquished, Eifert would likely be ordered to face the sanctioning body's No. 2-ranked contender, Conor Wallace, for its championship.
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