Former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury took a significant step toward organizing his ring return by signing with MTK Global, the fast-growing advisory and management company announced on Saturday.
"I couldn't be happier to sign an advisory deal with MTK Global," Fury said. "It is unbelievable how fast they have grown and what they have achieved in the past few years. I spoke to my mate (and middleweight world titleholder) Billy Joe Saunders and he only had good things to say about MTK so it was an easy decision to go with them."
MTK Global, founded by former longtime middleweight contender Matthew Macklin, works with dozens of fighters -- mainly from the United Kingdom -- including Saunders, former featherweight and junior featherweight world titlist Carl Frampton and top featherweight prospect Michael Conlan.
Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) -- still the lineal heavyweight world champion because he never lost his belts in the ring -- has not boxed since he dethroned longtime unified world champion Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision to win three major belts in Dusseldorf, Germany on Nov. 28, 2015.
But Fury, 29, of England, soon imploded, leading to the two-year layoff. He was quickly stripped of one title belt for failing to make a mandatory defense in order to face Klitschko in a contractually mandated rematch, but that never happened. It was called off twice because of Fury's personal problems. He had well-publicized drug, alcohol and mental health problems, including two failed drug tests for cocaine that cost him the other two belts. He was also stripped of his boxing license by the British Boxing Board of Control.
He announced retirements and comebacks on social media and also put on a tremendous amount of weight. He also still faces a UK Anti-Doping hearing for a failed drug test stemming from a 2015 fight. But Fury has posted videos and photos of himself on social media in recent weeks showing him in the gym and training.
He has spoken about returning to the ring as soon as he can take care of the doping hearing -- which is supposed to take place in December -- and get in shape. He has called out countryman and unified world titlist Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) as well as American titleholder Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) and others.
"I love boxing and I need it back in my life," Fury said. "Right now I'm working hard to shift some weight and get in shape to re-enter the ring. That won't take me long at all and then I'll be looking for my first opponent in early 2018.
"There are plenty of options for me. Everyone wants to get in the ring for a payday with me. So we'll sit down and decide who we choose but everyone knows the fights I really want. I want to knock out Anthony Joshua and I want to knock out Deontay Wilder and I believe by the time those fights happen they will be to unify the heavyweight division."
MTK Global director Paul Gibson said he is pleased Fury decided to sign with the company and that he looks forward to his return.
"In many people's eyes Tyson is still the man in the heavyweight division," Gibson said. "It is fantastic news for the sport that he is coming back to prove that fact in the ring. There are few bigger names in world boxing than Tyson Fury and we feel honored he has chosen MTK Global to help guide him through what promises to be the most exciting phase of his illustrious career."