Tyson Fury has claimed that Anthony Joshua’s car crash played a key role in his decision to return to boxing, as Fury prepares to emerge from retirement for the fifth time.
On 11 April, Fury will fight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking the “Gypsy King”’s first bout since December 2024.
And, according to Fury, he made the decision to return to boxing in December, with Joshua’s involvement in a car crash influencing the move.
Just days after Joshua knocked out influencer Jake Paul in their fight in Miami, “AJ” was a passenger in a crash in Nigeria, an incident that took the lives of two of his teammates. While Joshua’s boxing future is up in the air, his British rival Fury announced his comeback a few weeks after the crash.
And at a press conference on Monday, Fury cited “a tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua”.
“I was on holiday with my family in Thailand for Christmas, just to get away from the rain – sick of the rain, it was depressing me,” said the 37-year-old. “Then I hear all that bad news that’s gone on, and I thought: ‘You know what, life is very, very short and very precious and very fragile.’
“And anything could happen at any given moment, and you should never put things off until tomorrow or next year or next week, because tomorrow is not promised to nobody. The bible says tomorrow is not a gift, tomorrow ain’t promised, tomorrow is a mystery.
“So we have to live for today, and me, living for that day, I made my mind up there and then that I’m gonna come back to boxing – because it’s something that I love and that I’m passionate about and that I’ve always been in love with.
“And there is no tomorrow to put it off to, so that’s why I’m back today: for this big fight.”
Fury has not fought since he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in eight months, and he aims to bounce back when he takes on Russia’s Makhmudov, 36.
Prior to his two fights with Usyk, Fury had never before lost as a professional. The Briton is a former two-time world heavyweight champion, and he has said a third reign is one of his goals as he returns to boxing once again.
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There were rumours of a Fury comeback even before Joshua’s crash, and it seemed that a long-awaited clash between the Britons could even take place in 2026.
However, Joshua’s crash has left his in-ring future unclear. Still, his promoter Eddie Hearn has said he expects AJ to box again someday.
