Last week marked a year since Tyson Fury shocked us all by announcing his retirement – for the fifth time.

It certainly came as a surprise to the British boxing media, assembled that day in central London for the press conference to formally announce the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Less astonishing, however, is that the big man is now on his way back to the ring and the truth of the matter is – we need him.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) turned 37 in August and celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko in November. Those around him – promoter Frank Warren and his manager, Spencer Brown, among them – had both suggested that this latest retirement would be his last.

They had intimated that the 6-foot-9, two-time world heavyweight champion was more than happy with his lot. He has won every major belt over the course of his career and earned the sort of riches that will support the Fury family for generations to come. Love him or loathe him, it is the sort of legacy that few fighters from these shores can boast.

But this is a hard game from which to disconnect. He was away for 12 months but trained regularly throughout, keeping himself in shape and therefore within touching distance of a comeback. If you speak to people close to Fury, they will tell you they are never sure of his next move, because he doesn’t know it himself.

Somewhere along the line in 2025, Fury decided to step things up with a view to fighting again this year. At first it seemed like the possibility of finally fighting Anthony Joshua was the catalyst, although the chance of redemption against Oleksandr Usyk may be an equally important driving force.

Had he stayed retired, the final two fights of his career would have read 0-2, against the same man – the “pumped-up middleweight” or “ugly, bug-eyed rabbit cat” – depending on which quote you’d rather pull. But Fury is a boxing expert, particularly across the heavyweight division, and is acutely aware of the historical context of Usyk’s incredible undefeated reign, which has included three undisputed titles. The fact that Fury lost narrowly on points in both – a split decision first and then a unanimous decision to the tune of 116-112 across all three cards – will have rankled rather than comforted.

So, once his decision to return was made, Fury headed to Thailand for a training camp to give himself the best chance of a successful year. It is worth pointing out that one of his key sidekicks during the trip has been Kevin Lerena, a southpaw who stands about 6-2 and used to campaign as a cruiserweight. Sound familiar?

Usyk, of course, seems to have already planned his next move and it will involve Deontay Wilder. After that, who knows? But he has already downplayed an encounter against WBO champion Fabio Wardley as he bids to secure the most commercially attractive fights instead. Would Fury be that? Right now, probably not, but that may change. Nobody really wanted to see the third Fury-Wilder fight given how one-sided the second one was, but the trilogy clash was the best of the lot.

It’s a long way off, anyway. Fury is expected to return to the ring sometime in the first third of this year in a lower-level comeback fight of sorts before pursuing a summer blockbuster. Whether it’s AJ, Usyk or even the chance to become three-time heavyweight champion against Wardley, it will be box office.

And that is precisely why we still need him. We are conditioned in this sport to look ahead at what’s next – who might fight who, which boxer struggling at the weight might decide to jump up a division. For a few years now those gazing across the horizon of British boxing will have noticed a dearth in box office attractions. Sure, there are figures out there capable of crossing over, but they haven’t done so yet.

This was supposed to be a Moses Itauma fight week, until the 21-year-old contender pulled out of his scheduled clash with Jermaine Franklin due to injury. The Chatham southpaw seems like the most likely next star of British boxing, yet there is work to be done on his profile before your nan starts asking about him.

The likes of Conor Benn, Hamzah Sheeraz, Ben Whittaker and Olympic champion Lauren Price have the potential to become truly mainstream, too, but 37-year-old Fury, even after more than a year out, will almost certainly make a bigger splash than anyone else in 2026.

Crucially, that will give the chasing pack another 12 months to build their profile so when his sixth and potentially final retirement rolls around, there are others waiting to fill the void.