LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)  — Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury announced Sunday he will return to boxing in 2026.

Fury has not fought since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in a bout for three of the four major world titles in December 2024.

But the 37-year-old British star posted on Instagram on Sunday: "2026 is that year. Return of the mac.”

"Been away for a while but I'm back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it."

Fury also said he was retiring from the sport after beating Dillian Whyte in April 2022, only to return later in the year.

Fury's history of retirement followed by u-turns meant few believed his most recent claim to end a career that had brought 34 wins in 37 contests.

He was incensed at the judges' decisions in a pair of defeats by Usyk, the only boxer to beat Fury, who said in last year's retirement message: "I'm going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask."

The self-styled "Gypsy King" fueled speculation of another comeback over the festive period by posting several clips on his social media feeds of himself in training.

Despite insisting he had bowed out of the sport, Fury has been repeatedly linked with a long-awaited all-British bout against Anthony Joshua, another former two-time world heavyweight champion.

The pair agreed to a fight in August 2021 when they held all the major world titles between them, but that was scuppered when Fury was ordered to take on Deontay Wilder for a third time by an arbitration hearing.

Plans were in the pipeline for Joshua and Fury to have tune-ups in the early part of this year before finally facing off against each other, either in late summer or towards the back end of 2026.