By Reuters

The story was first published on 24 Jul 202624 Jul 2026.

The fight was Fury's first since announcing his return to boxing in January, following his retirement in December 2024.

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury forced Polish opponent Mariusz Wach to retire in a warm-up bout for his upcoming showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua.

The fight in Thailand on Friday was not televised, but will feature in the Netflix reality ‌‌show, At Home with the Furys. About 1,500 fans attended the event at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya.

Wach had lost seven of his last 10 fights, and the 46-year-old could not continue at the start of the eighth round.

Fury, who turns 38 in August, has won 36 professional fights, with his only losses coming in two fights against Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

He announced his return to boxing in January, having retired from the sport in December 2024 after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in a bout for three of the four major world titles.

Fury is a two-time world champion. He ended the reign of Wladimir Klitschko with a points win in 2015 that saw him crowned Super WBA, IBF and WBO champion.

He didn’t fight again until 2018 – but a thrilling trilogy with American Deontay Wilder resulted in a draw and two victories for him to claim the WBC title.

The British star confirmed his comeback in a post on social media, which sets up the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.

Joshua, also a ‌‌former world heavyweight champion, is set to face Kristian Prenga in ‌‌Saudi ‌‌Arabia on Saturday.

The victory sets up a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua, which has been discussed for years. Joshua, also a former champion, is scheduled to fight Kristian Prenga on Saturday. Fury's performance, though against a faded opponent, keeps momentum for the potential mega-fight. The bout was part of a reality show, highlighting Fury's entertainment ventures outside the ring.