By: Ciaran O’Mahony

Tyson Fury is officially back, but he won’t be fighting Joshua or Wilder just yet.

Former Heavyweight World Champion Tyson Fury has finally agreed terms with promoter Frank Warren and is set to return to the ring on the 9th of June against an as yet unnamed opponent.

Speaking at the official announcement in Manchester, Fury promised that he will recapture the belts he won against the great Wladimir Klitschko over two years ago.

“I’m back to reclaim what is rightfully mine and that’s the world,” says the outspoken former champion.

“There are a lot of people out there who are claiming to be the world’s best, and I know for a fact they’re not,” he says.
However, Frank Warren says he will not be rushing Fury into a world title fight anytime soon as he will need three or four fights to get “fighting fit” first.

“He’s going to be busy and he needs to get some rounds under his belt first,” he says.

Fury agreed, saying “by the time I return I’ll have been out for about 2 years and 7 months, so that’s going to be one of the longest comebacks in heavyweight history for a world champion”.

“It’s going to be an interesting journey if I’m honest and there are a lot of challenges out there that I’m looking forward to,” Fury says.

Fury, 29, is undefeated and rather than losing his belts in the ring, was forced to vacate them after suffering serious mental health problems.

In his absence, Anthony Joshua has claimed three out of the four heavyweight belts, while Deontay Wilder holds the WBC title.

Fury says that once he has a few fights under his belt, neither fighter will pose a major threat to him.

“Given the right time and the right amount of fights, all of those guys, I don’t believe that they’re going to be much of a match for me,” he says.

“My speed, agility and skill will be too much for what we have today, sluggers and wild punchers,” says Fury.

He says of Joshua “he’s looking for one punch all night, anyone who can move a little bit and who faints, he struggles against and he can’t land on.”

“I’ll outbox him for a few rounds and then knock him out, he’s not the hardest man in the world to hit,” he boldly states.

Fury says he bears no ill-will towards Joshua, however, despite the fact that “AJ” has taken his belts and become a huge star in the process.

“I’d just like to congratulate the fellow, he’s done very well. I gave up my belts voluntarily because I had bigger fish to fry and that was my own health and now I’m back and it’s up to me to get it all back,” says Fury.

“It hasn’t been frustrating, it’s been exciting. I’ve had many good Saturday nights watching the fellow. He’s an exciting fighter and I can’t wait to get in there and prove I’m still the best,” he says.

He feels that Wilder is the best fighter in the division at the moment because “he’s dangerous until the last two seconds of the fight”.

“As we’ve seen against Ortiz, he was losing the fight all the way through and he only needs to land one punch and unlike AJ, he has the agility and speed to throw from anywhere,” Fury says.

Fury sees plenty of weaknesses in Wilder’s game though, saying that “he’s a bit weak around the whiskers and he’s not the best boxer in the world so they’re all very beatable”.

Many have questioned whether Fury will ever be the same fighter after his mental health issues and enormous weight gain.

Having spent the last few months training hard and shedding the pounds, he says “let’s just say I’m a lot, lot, lot lighter than I’ve been in the past”.

He insists that he is now in peak physical condition and that his “timing, reflexes, everything, are better than they have ever been.”

“Achilles is back. I’m 29 years old and coming into the prime of my life. I’m stronger now and faster and looking at the competition out there, it should be relatively easy,” he says.

We’ll find out if he’s right in just two months.

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