It was today confirmed that 37-year-old Tyson Fury will make his comeback against Arslanbak Makhmudov on April 11. The bout, set to be broadcast on Netflix from a to-be-confirmed venue in the UK, will mark the Englishman’s first in-ring action since he lost the rematch to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.
The 16-month layoff is far from the longest of Fury’s career, however. Even before he fell into an unplanned 31-month hiatus following his upset victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, Fury had been known to spend time on the sidelines.
Below is a list of his longest spells out of the ring and how he looked when he came back.
5. From Christian Hammer to Wladimir Klitschko (9 months)
Not a hint of a cobweb on the spidery limbs of Fury when he stunned the world after what was then the second-longest layoff of his career to date. Fury bewitched the longstanding champion after spending much of the previous nine months getting under Klitschko’s skin to hand the Ukrainian his first defeat, via deserved unanimous decision in November 2015, for 11 years.
4. From Joey Abell to Derek Chisora II (9.5 months)
The slightly reckless Fury who halted an overmatched Joey Abell was an altogether more cultured beast when he came up against Derek Chisora in November 2014. He systematically broke down his countryman, largely by operating out of a southpaw stance, in what remains one of Fury’s most complete showings.
3. From Derek Chisora III to Francis Ngannou (10 months)
A needless third fight with Chisora to close out 2022 was supposed to be followed by a showdown with Oleksandr Usyk until negotiations repeatedly broke down. Enter Turki Alalshikh and a match with MMA star Francis Ngannou. Fury looked awful in what is still surely the most lacklustre showing of his career as Ngannou, widely predicted beforehand to be outclassed, dropped the huge favorite before coming up short on some contentious scorecards.
2. From Deontay Wilder II to Deontay Wilder III (20 months)
What should have been liftoff for Fury after hammering Deontay Wilder in their February 2020 rematch became a frustrating spell on the sidelines, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. By the time a contractually obliged third encounter came along, which scuppered plans for an Anthony Joshua showdown, Fury – bogged down by concerns about his family – endured a hellacious slugfest before winning in the 11th.
1. From Wladimir Klitschko to Sefer Seferi (31 months)
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Fury was forced out of the ring after drug-test failures from the past needed to be explained and into a battle with depression he fell. What followed was weight gain, drug abuse, and the makings of a seriously impressive comeback. On reflection, Seferi was a poor selection of opponent and, in a bizarre encounter, Fury toyed with a foe so overmatched the victor was unable to offer many clues about what lay ahead.
