Tyson Fury: After boxing retirement U-turn will he go on to become three-time heavyweight world champion?

A three-time world heavyweight champion has a hallowed place in the annals of boxing history. They are rare indeed and only the very best manage to reach that status. With Tyson Fury returning to the sport, will he be able to join that august company?

Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko are legendary fighters who preceded Fury and became three-time heavyweight world champions.

Fury has had two reigns as a world heavyweight titlist, after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 and Deontay Wilder five years later.

After losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 and being denied undisputed glory, Fury retired at the start of last year. But he elected to return and will box Aslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 in the UK.

His goal is to beat Makhmudov and a line up a bigger fight later in 2026. Fury's major British rival is Anthony Joshua, though it is unclear what AJ's next move will be as he recovers from bereavement, having lost two friends in a car accident in Nigeria in which he also sustained minor injuries.

The four major world titles are currently held between Usyk and Ipswich man Fabio Wardley. The Ukrainian is the unified WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight champion while Wardley is the WBO titlist.