The former two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says the fatal car crash in Nigeria involving Anthony Joshua on Dec. 29 was the emotional jolt that ended his latest retirement and sent him back into training.
The accident near Lagos killed two of Joshua’s closest team members, strength and conditioning coach Sina Ghami and trainer Latif “Latz” Ayodele. Joshua survived with minor injuries, but the emotional toll was severe.
For Fury, the news cut deeper than rivalry.
“The biggest turning point in this comeback was the tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua,” Fury said Monday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he is set to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. “Life is very short, very precious and very fragile. Tomorrow is a mystery. We have to live for today.”
The 37-year-old had stepped away from boxing in January 2025 after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, including a December rematch loss in Riyadh.
The second defeat ended his unbeaten run and appeared to close the curtain on one of the sport’s most unpredictable champions.
Instead, it reopened the door.
Fury, whose record stands at 34-2-1 with 24 knockouts, said hearing about the sudden deaths of two men devoted to elite preparation forced him to confront a harsh reality. Success offers no shield. Fame provides no guarantees. Even the strongest teams can be undone in seconds.
“I made my mind up there and then,” Fury said. “I’m coming back to boxing because it’s something I love. I’m passionate about it. I’ve always been in love with it.”
His return now feels less about redemption and more about urgency. The heavyweight division remains shaped by Usyk’s dominance and Joshua’s uncertain path forward. Fury’s bout with the hard hitting Makhmudov is both risk and opportunity, a test of whether the fire still burns.
The rivalry between Fury and Joshua once revolved around contracts, belts and pride. Now it is framed by something more human. Loss. Perspective. Mortality.
On April 11 in north London, Fury will step through the ropes again carrying that weight with him, not chasing the past, not promising the future.
