Fury will draw a line under 15 months out of the ring on April 11 when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium live on Netflix after deciding to end his retirement which began back in January 2025.

 Now the 37-year-old Gypsy King has explained how his mind was made up by the heartbreaking deaths of Joshua’s close friends and team-mates Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami.

The pair were tragically killed when the Lexus SUV carrying them collided with a stationary lorry near Lagos on December 29. Joshua and the driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, both survived.

Fury, on holiday with his family in Thailand at the time, says the news had a profound effect on him and the future of his career. At the top table at Monday’s press conference at the stadium, Fury said: “I suppose the biggest turning point in this comeback for me was 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 because it was depressing me. Then I hear all that bad news that has gone on and I thought ‘life is very short and very precious and very fragile’.

“Anything can happen any moment and you should never put things off until tomorrow or next week or next year because tomorrow is not promised to anybody. Me living for the day, I made my mind up there and then that I’m going to come back to boxing because it’s something that I love and I’m passionate about. There is no tomorrow to put it off to and that’s why I’m back today.

“There’s never a tomorrow. Tomorrow is a myth, it’s not a real thing. Today is what we have. Tomorrow might not ever come ... I’m not anything but a fighter. That’s why I’m back.”

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) is no stranger to comebacks after returning from a string of retirements over the course of his professional career, which started back in 2008.

He most recently called time on that career following back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian great Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. He has since spent time filming the latest series of his Netflix docuseries, "At Home With the Furys", as well as a full documentary about his life.

It was only in August that Fury had completely ruled out a return to boxing, which he described as a "young man’s game", but he admits he has been simply unable to walk away.

He added: “This is my fifth comeback in as many years I suppose but when you love something as passionately as I do, it’s hard to let go. It’s very difficult to let go.


“I know how hard I’ve worked to get to this point and to walk away with so much left in the tank was never going to happen. Even if I didn’t believe it myself.
 “When I retired over a year ago I really believed I’d never return to boxing. But having had a year off and experienced life and all it has to give I’ve learned that I’m so much in love with boxing that it’s a part of me now matter how old I am. Just like Mike Tyson, he can’t get it out of his system.
 “I think boxing is the biggest addictive drug on earth because any other drug you can go to rehab and get it out of your system but the fight game never leaves you. It’s always with you, now until forever.
 “It comes to a point where you just want to go back to work and my work will always be the fight game, no matter how old I am. I feel fresh, I feel good and if I was on the decline I’d say it. I don’t think I’ve lost anything, I feel fast and good moving. Everything is really good.”

Fury also explained why he selected dangerous Russian puncher Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) for his first fight in 15 months.

The 36-year-old was once tipped as a future world champion but defeats to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello stalled his sure towards the top. But, with 13 first round knockouts, Makhmudov is still considered one of the most destructive figures in the division.

Fury said: “The truth of the matter is, if I fight a pudding, I don’t get turned on by that. I have to fight someone dangerous to make me even want to train, or to take it seriously. Now I know I have a knockout artist in front of me, I really will focus and get my teeth into training camp.”