Why Tyson Fury should -- or shouldn't -- consider these opponents for his return

We have been here a few times before with Tyson Fury, but it looks like the entertaining former heavyweight champion is set to end his retirement -- again -- and could be back in the ring in 2026.

"He's indicated that he wants to fight next year," promoter Frank Warren said on his Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel on Oct. 9.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) has not boxed since a second decision loss to undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in December, after which he announced (not for the first time) he was hanging up his gloves.

If Fury, 37, does embark on another comeback, who will be his next opponent? Will he go straight into a challenging fight? Will he finally face Anthony Joshua or will he want to ease himself back with an easier assignment?

ESPN looks at five contenders for the return of the "Gypsy King."

The one that should happen: Anthony Joshua

It might not be as big as it once would have been when they shared all the heavyweight world titles between them, but there is still a big demand to see Fury vs. Joshua, especially in the U.K.

The English rivals first had serious talks to face each other five years ago, but successive attempts to make the fight have failed to deliver one of the biggest fights available in boxing.

Since both are now closer to 40 and nearing the end of their careers, there is a realization that time is running out to make a fortune from sharing a ring together whether a title is on the line or not.

"[Fury's] was one of the most astonishing retirements I've ever seen. We never knew that was going to happen, did we?" Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, who has guided Joshua's career since his professional debut in 2013, recently told ESPN.

"I know that if the deal is right he will fight Anthony Joshua. He last fought in December so he's been out of the ring for a year soon. I know that Fury's team are all talking to Turki Alalshikh [chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority], and I saw an interview with Frank Warren saying he had talked to Tyson Fury and he's coming back."

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), a two-time heavyweight world champion, has not fought since getting knocked out in Round 5 by Daniel Dubois in September 2024. An elbow surgery has delayed Joshua, 36, from resuming his career, but he is expected to box again late this year or early 2026. Hearn told ESPN Joshua will have an interim fight before a potential fight with Fury.

"The obvious one is Joshua because everybody wanted to see that fight and [still] wants to see that fight. That's an obvious one," Warren said. "To be blunt, it's all about the money."

Recently, Warren and Hearn have separately held talks about making Joshua vs. Fury with Alalshikh, currently the most powerful figure in global boxing.

"I think Turki Alalshikh is probably the only one who can make the Tyson Fury fight because both guys are going to want a huge amount of money and Turki has a reputation for making the biggest fights in the sport," Hearn said.

"And the biggest fight in the sport is Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury, no question about it."

The question is whether Fury feels he is ready to go straight into a fight with Joshua next or have an interim fight, which could potentially delay Fury vs. Joshua until the second half of 2026.

The one that can happen: Martin Bakole or Fabio Wardley

After over a year out of the ring, Fury may decide he wants a warmup fight. An opponent that brings less threat, but is still a big enough name to be a credible opponent, is Bakole.

Bakole, 33, is looking for a big fight and has previously sparred Fury. Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs) was clinically dealt with inside two rounds by Joseph Parker in February, although he did step in as a late-notice substitute opponent. Bakole then fought to a draw with Efe Ajagba in May, and has recently been linked to fighting Joshua in Nigeria.

If Bakole ends up fighting Joshua, Fury could easily be matched against Fabio Wardley. Both are promoted by Queensberry Promotions, and Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) is outside the elite group whose inexperience could be capitalized on by Fury's smart boxing.

But Wardley is dangerous, as he showed when he knocked out the previously unbeaten Justis Huni in June when he was losing the fight. Wardley is scheduled to face Parker on Oct. 25.

The one we don't want to see: Oleksandr Usyk

Fury feels a deep sense of injustice over the outcome of his rematch with Usyk -- a feeling not widely shared by the media.

Usyk, 38, is 2-0 over Fury and continued his imperious form in a masterful Round 5 KO win over Dubois in July. It is hard to argue a case for Fury upsetting the odds in a third encounter against the undisputed heavyweight champion, but along with Joshua, this could be the fight Fury wants.

Usyk has said his retirement day is close, and he could be tempted by a big money trilogy encounter before he walks away from boxing. But Fury can earn more against Joshua and has a better chance of beating him, which is why that Usyk trilogy fight is unlikely to be next.

The most dangerous: Moses Itauma

Fury is fully aware of how dangerous Itauma is, after the 20-year-old notched his eighth first-round victim in his most recent fight.

"Moses Itauma will wreck all them old men out of the division," Fury said on social media in August following Itauma's first-round demolition of Dillian Whyte, who had gone six rounds with Fury for the WBC world title in April 2022.

"Usyk, [Joshua], [Jarrell] Miller. Whoever there is that's old. [Zhilei] Zhang, whoever else the f--- there is, Luis Ortiz. All these big names of the past. Even the man who took my belts, Usyk, Moses will wreck him because it's a young man versus an old man. And an old man can't mess with a young man."

Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) is rumored to be fighting on Dec. 13, but it won't be against Fury.

The one he won't take: Joseph Parker

Parker, the former WBO champion, is in an excellent position to land a world title shot in 2026, as long as he avoids defeat against Wardley on Oct. 25.

Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) holds the WBO interim title, and should he beat Wardley, he will go into 2026 first in the queue to fight Usyk, in what could be Usyk's final fight before retirement.

You would think, given Parker's status, he would be the ideal opponent for Fury to make up ground. But Fury and Parker are good friends, and Parker even trains out of Fury's gym in Morecambe, England, and they share the same trainer in Andy Lee.

This is one fight that could not happen.