Tyson Fury has revealed that the deaths of two of Anthony Joshua's friends in a car crash were the catalyst for his return to the ring. The heavyweight will face Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 April, live on Netflix.
Fury, a two-time world champion, retired after his second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk at the end of 2024. He announced his comeback on 4 January, a week after Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Speaking at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury said the tragedy made him reconsider his priorities. "The biggest turning point in this comeback for me was the tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua," he said.
Fury explained that he was on holiday in Thailand when he heard the news. "I thought: life is very short and very precious. You should never put things off until tomorrow because tomorrow is not promised to nobody."
He added that his love for boxing drove his decision. "I made my mind up there and then I was going to come back to boxing because it's something I love."
