Tyson Fury announced this week he will fight Oleksandr Usyk in a trilogy showdown at Wembley Stadium in April.
The claim, which has not been denied by Usyk’s team, came as Fury confirmed plans to return to boxing just six months after he said he had retired.
The announcement has prompted a raft of questions. Why would Fury want to fight again? Would he beat Usyk at the third attempt? Would Usyk really be willing to box the Brit at Wembley? Is this all a bluff to draw Anthony Joshua to the table?
Sky Sports boxing expert Johnny Nelson attempts to answer the big talking points…
Was Tyson Fury really retired?
Fury has reaffirmed his retirement throughout much of 2025 so far
Fury announced his retirement from boxing – not for the first time – in a social media post last January, but this week he conducted a series of interviews in Turkey where he stated his intention to return to the ring. “The ‘Gypsy King’ will be back! We have a rabbit to hunt,” wrote Turki Alalshikh, the key matchmaker in modern boxing, seemingly ending the notion that Fury had hung up his gloves for good…
JOHNNY NELSON: I never believed it for a second. As far as I was concerned, it’s part of his negotiation skills.
You get some fighters who retire and they stay retired. You get some fighters who feel as though for one reason or another they have to retire, but don’t really want to and do some kind of comeback.
But some fighters use retirement because they’re in a strong position. They know the game needs them as much as they need the game.
Tyson’s one of those few fighters who can say ‘If you don’t play my game, I’m out. I can live comfortably’.
And it’s a bluff.
Why does he want to fight again?
Fury hinted at a potential return ahead of a ‘business meeting’ with his dad
“I want my revenge in England, that’s all I want,” Fury told Boxing News this week. Fury had reached the summit of the sport, becoming the lineal world heavyweight champion, but after losing twice on points to Usyk, does he have a new motivation?
JOHNNY NELSON: Mentally he never could live comfortably walking away from the game because he’s a fighting man.
As far as Tyson’s concerned, he doesn’t think he lost the last fight. He’s very upset and very bitter about it. I get that.
You’ve also got to remember the psyche of a fighter. As world heavyweight champion, it means you’re the biggest and the best, officially the best fighter in the world.
You’ve got to really believe that you can beat all the billions of people on this earth to be a heavyweight champion of the world.
Every heavyweight champion struggles with not being in that position. Tyson’s no different from the rest of them. He struggles with not being officially looked at as a heavyweight champion.
So as far as he is concerned, they’ve robbed him. In his head, there’s no justification for it. In his head, they stole it from him.
Is this all about money?
Fury previously hinted at a return to the ring in a video posted on his social media, in which he was seen linking up with trainer SugarHill Steward
Fury posted a series of dollar signs on social media when referencing a potential comeback this week, suggesting that revenge might not be the only thing on his mind…
JOHNNY NELSON: I do think money’s a great motivator in this, but I don’t think money is everything because these guys are very, very wealthy.
They’ll never be able to spend the money they make from this. But I also think for Tyson, it’s a demon that he’s struggling with.
He’s struggling to exist without thinking ‘I’m the best, there’s nobody better than me’.
He’s struggling to deal with that.
Does Tyson even deserve a third fight?
A look back at some of the dramatic highlights from Fury’s rollercoaster career
The first fight between Usyk and Fury was a split-decision win for the Ukrainian, but the second fight saw all three judges award Usyk the win by four points…
JOHNNY NELSON: Put it this way, Daniel Dubois is boxing Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium. They ain’t going to sell that out.
But if Usyk is boxing Fury at Wembley, that’s good business because it sells out, and that’s the business side.
Did Tyson Fury get a beating the last time he boxed Usyk? No. Was it a one-sided battle? No. It was close.
So I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve a shot because he put up an amazing performance and boxing is a business disguised as a sport.
This is good business.
What can we expect from Tyson Fury in a trilogy fight?
Fury and Usyk engaged in an intense 11-minute staredown which had to be broken up ahead of their rematch
Fury has only fought three times since the start of 2023 – and one of those was against MMA star Francis Ngannou. If Fury’s claims of an April 18 showdown with Usyk are accurate, then it would be almost 18 months between fights…
JOHNNY NELSON: The last couple of times I’ve seen him box, I thought his legs were slower.
Fury’s been inactive and Usyk will have been more active. If you’re talking April next year, that’s a long time to be out of the ring.
I don’t think it falls well in his favour, having so much time off, unless he has some behind-closed-doors competition in the gym to test his skill.
There’s already excuses on the table in case things don’t go his way.
Would fighting on home turf make a difference?
Take a look back at some of the biggest stadium fights in British boxing history
Fury has lost the decision in the first two Usyk fights, which were both held in Saudi Arabia. “I want a fair result in England,” he said this week before insisting the trilogy bout would happen on home turf at Wembley Stadium…
JOHNNY NELSON: I’ve seen British favourites lose at Wembley. I don’t think it makes a difference.
When the bell goes, you can be anywhere in the world and if you’re a real champion, no matter where you’re boxing, you come back a champion and a winner.
But, of course, I think the occasion would be bigger at Wembley. It’d be much bigger.
I think Saudi Arabia does an amazing job, but there’s nothing better than the UK fans when it comes to a good fight.
Does a Fury trilogy fight make sense for Usyk?
Usyk discusses Daniel Dubois’ low blow from their previous fight, the signal he made after he was pushed in their face-off and the potential to fight Fury for a third time, just for fun, if he returns to boxing
After beating Joshua and Fury twice, Usyk is targeting a second win over Daniel Dubois later this month to become the undisputed world champion for a second time… so why would he want to step into the ring with Fury again?
JOHNNY NELSON: Just financial gain. Usyk has proven twice he’d beat Tyson Fury.
He’s beaten everybody. He’s left a trail of destruction. He’s already beaten Daniel Dubois and I think he’ll beat him better the second time around.
Usyk’s a businessman too.
The Fury fight makes good money and he’ll do that if it suits him. So, let’s see what’s said after the Dubois fight.
But Usyk might say, ‘nah, I’m all right, I’m done. I’m out of here’.
He’s in a great position.
What if Usyk loses to Dubois or says he’s not interested?
Usyk and Dubois had an intense staredown during their face-off before their fight on July 19
Usyk’s team told Sky Sports that the champion is “fully focused on the upcoming fight with Dubois on July 19 and on achieving the historic goal of becoming a three-time undisputed world champion”- so was Fury a little premature in naming the date and venue for the trilogy fight?
JOHNNY NELSON: If Usyk said he wasn’t interested in the trilogy then it’s back to plan A, which is Tyson fighting Joshua.
Joshua and Fury are at the stage in their career where one more loss devalues where they stand in the heavyweight landscape, so they’ve got to make sure the person they box is worth it.
Usyk’s worth it. AJ’s worth it.
AJ’s not shouting out Usyk, because he’s thinking, boy, I don’t deserve that shot. Tyson has shouted it out because he’s not accepting that he got dealt with the last time they boxed.
He knows there’s an appetite for them to box each other and you’ve got to think like that as a fighter. You’ve got to think you’re unbeatable.
Does Fury really want a fight with Joshua?
Promoter Eddie Hearn says this is the moment to make a fight between Joshua and Fury happen
“Usyk’s the one I want, but if I don’t get that then it will be Joshua, the biggest British boxing fight that will ever happen,” said Fury earlier this week. But is a Battle of Britain really plan A?
JOHNNY NELSON: This doesn’t mean he doesn’t want AJ. Actually, there’d probably be more money on the table if it was AJ rather than Usyk.
The Joshua fight’s happening. That fight’s going to happen, but Tyson is a great negotiator. He’s like a car salesman.
If someone’s trying to sell you a car, you kick the tyres and you complain about the tyres. You know for a fact you love the car, but you say you don’t like the tyres and you say you’ll pay a thousand pounds less.
Tyson Fury’s not talking about Anthony Joshua, but he loves the idea of it and he loves the business that comes with it.
But for now he’ll say ‘I’ve got somebody else to pretend I’m in love with’. That’s the game.
