Tyson Fury will make yet another return to the ring this Saturday.
The 37-year-old Fury will end his latest retirement of 16 months when he steps through the ropes to face Arslanbek Makhmudov at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Unsurprisingly, he is not the only heavyweight champion to dust off the gloves after a period of inactivity – and he surely won’t be the last. Many heavyweight champions have hung up the gloves and chose to return to the ring for another crack at claiming a title. Some comebacks have been successful, others not so much.
Here are 10 former heavyweight champions who made a return to boxing after a stint away from the squared circle.
George Foreman
We start with the greatest of all heavyweight comebacks. George Foreman first won the heavyweight title in 1973, knocking down the then-undefeated Joe Frazier six times before stopping him in Round 2. Foreman was vicious and feared, but he would famously go on to lose his title to Muhammad Ali a year later. Following defeat to Jimmy Young in 1977, “Big George” hung up the gloves at just 28 years old.
Money would force Foreman to make a comeback a full decade later. By then an ordained minister after welcoming God into his life, Foreman would defeat Steve Zouski in his return at age 38. What followed was extraordinary. In 1994, at 45 years old, he knocked out Michael Moorer to regain the heavyweight title. Foreman, who lost on points to Evander Holyfield in 1991, finally retired in 1997 following a contentious defeat to Shannon Briggs. He was 48.
David Haye
David Haye held the lineal title and unified belts at cruiserweight in the late 2000s before making a successful run at heavyweight. He defeated Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for the WBA title in 2009 but went on to lose the belt to Wladimir Klitschko in 2011. Haye defeated Derek Chisora a year later, but in 2013, after struggles with injuries, he called it a career at age 33.
Haye returned three years later in 2016, against Mark de Mori. With a huge fight against Anthony Joshua his aim, Haye’s body failed him in back-to-back fights with Tony Bellew in 2017 and 2018. Haye was a big favorite in both contests, but he suffered injuries to his Achilles tendon in the first contest and was stopped on both occasions by Bellew.
Tyson Fury
Back in 2015, aged 27, Fury had just dethroned long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko. Fury held the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, and had the world at his feet. However, a drugs ban and a battle with mental health that saw Fury balloon to 400lbs kept him out of the ring for three years.
Fury shed nearly 130lbs for his return against Sefer Seferi in 2018, and jumped in with WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder just six months later. Fury, then 30, was held to a controversial draw but would knock out Wilder in their rematch in 2020. He then made two attempts at unifying the division against Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, losing on both occasions before hanging up the gloves at 36. Which brings us to his return this weekend against Makhmudov.
Mike Tyson
At just 20 years old, Mike Tyson became history’s youngest heavyweight titlist in 1986, stopping Trevor Berbick. He would go on to become undisputed champion by unifying all three heavyweight belts in 1987 against Tony Tucker, gained lineal recognition when he blew away Michael Spinks the following year but shockingly lost his titles to James “Buster” Douglas in 1990.
Tyson, after serving time in prison between 1992 and 1995, returned at age 29 with a knockout win over Peter McNeeley. He regained the WBC heavyweight title in 1996 with a win over Frank Bruno but was later beaten twice by Evander Holyfield. Tyson never really hit the heights in his post-prison return, and he was beaten on three more occasions before retiring in 2005. Tyson launched another comeback of sorts in 2024, at age 58, against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Tyson lost unanimously to Paul over eight rounds.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, when still Cassius Clay, first won the heavyweight title at just 22 years old, upsetting Sonny Liston in 1964. Ali would go on to make nine successful defenses of his title, but in 1967, at 25, he was banned from boxing for refusing military service during the Vietnam War.
Ali returned to boxing in 1970 at age 28 with a win over top contender Jerry Quarry. In his first attempt to win back his title, Ali was defeated by Joe Frazier in 1971, and he had to wait until 1974 for another chance, this time against George Foreman. Few fancied the 32-year-old Ali in the matchup, but he made a mockery of those seated ringside, knocking out Foreman in Round 8. Ali retired for good in 1981 following losses to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick.
Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko won the WBC heavyweight title in 2004, stopping Corrie Sanders after giving Lennox Lewis a tremendous tussle the year before. Klitschko defended his belt just once, with a win over Danny Williams, before persistent injuries forced him to retire in 2005.
After a stint in politics and with his injuries seemingly healed, Klitschko returned in 2008, at age 37, regaining the WBC title with a win over Samuel Peter. Klitschko remained dominant alongside his brother Wladimir, and retained his WBC title up until his retirement in 2013, at age 42.
Evander Holyfield
The former undisputed cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield achieved the same feat at heavyweight in 1990 when, at age 28, he stopped Buster Douglas. After losing to Michael Moorer in 1994, Holyfield retired from boxing at 31 due to a heart condition. It turned out to be a misdiagnosis, and Holyfield returned in 1995 with a win over Ray Mercer. He reclaimed the WBA heavyweight strap with two wins over Mike Tyson.
Holyfield went on to unify the WBA and IBF belts with a rematch win over Moorer in 1997, but in 1999, at age 37, he lost his titles to Lennox Lewis. Holyfield fought on, losing to John Ruiz, Chris Bryd and James Toney. The New York State Athletic Commission withdrew Holyfield’s professional license in 2004 after his defeat to Larry Donald. Despite that, Holyfield made a return two years later with a win over Jeremy Bates. He made two more tries to win a heavyweight title – falling on points to Sultan Ibragimov and, controversially, losing to Nikolai Valuev – before hanging up the gloves for good in 2011 at 48 years old.
Joe Louis
Joe Louis became heavyweight champion in 1937, knocking out James J. Braddock, and reigned for more than a decade as he made 25 defenses of his title. Louis collected back-to-back wins over Jersey Joe Walcott, though the first one was considered a gift decision, before retiring in 1949 at 35 years old.
Financial issues forced Louis to make a return against Ezzard Charles in 1950, when he lost convincingly on points. Louis went on to collect eight wins before losing to Rocky Marciano in 1951 and retiring for good at 37 years old.
Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier unified the heavyweight championship at 26 years old, defeating Jimmy Ellis inside four rounds in 1970. He went on to successfully defend the title four times – including a win over Muhammad Ali – before suffering his first career loss, at age 29, in a knockout by George Foreman in 1973. Three defeats in six fights followed – two to Ali, plus another to Foreman – convincing a 32-year-old Frazier to hang up his gloves in 1976. He returned at age 37 against Floyd Cummings in 1981. The fight ended in a draw, Frazier looked dreadful, and he never fought again.
Max Schmeling
Max Schmeling won the heavyweight title in 1930 at age 24 when Jack Sharkey was disqualified in their fight. Schmeling lost the title in a rematch with Sharkey two years later, and he would fail in his only other title fight – the famous rematch against Joe Louis in 1938 – at age 32. Schmeling fought once more, against Adolf Heuser, winning the German and European titles before retiring to fight in World War II at age 33. Schmeling returned briefly, in 1947, at 41 years old, with a win over Werner Vollmer. Schmeling kept fighting up until a defeat against Richard Vogt in 1948, forcing him to walk away from the sport at 43.
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
