Tyson Fury, the former heavyweight world champion, has taken a surprising turn in his career by stepping into the role of co-manager for the England football team at Soccer Aid 2025. He will be joining forces with the legendary former Manchester United and England striker, Wayne Rooney.
The ‘Gypsy King’ teased fans with an Instagram video showing him striding through Old Trafford’s tunnel draped in an England flag, captioning it: “Did you miss me?” This sparked a frenzy online as followers speculated about a possible boxing comeback. However, the true purpose was to reveal his new venture.
The charity event for Unicef is set to return to Manchester United’s iconic stadium on Sunday, June 15. As a passionate supporter of the Red Devils, Fury expressed his thrill over the announcement, stating: “ENGLAND MANAGER! Who would ever have thought it! ? I have had some big fights in my career and the prospect of leading my England team to victory this June fills me with just as much excitement as any heavyweight fight,” and added: “Everyone knows that I am a huge Manchester United fan too, so it’s even more special for me that the game is at Old Trafford this year – and I get to manage one of my heroes, Wayne Rooney! How can we lose! ? The work UNICEF does all around the world is so special and so important. I really hope that you can come along and support us this summer.”
The latest developments in the boxing world have dealt another blow to Anthony Joshua. Earlier this year, Fury announced his retirement from boxing after suffering two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Many had anticipated a showdown between ‘AJ’ and Fury following the latter’s second defeat to the Ukrainian. However, with Fury now seemingly focused on leading the England team to victory in June, a bout between the two appears increasingly unlikely.
Boxing trainer Andy Lee, who is also Fury’s cousin, revealed that the former world champion has no plans to return to the ring. Speaking to iFL TV, Lee said: “[It’s] just the odd message here and there and he seems very happy. [He said], ‘Andy I’m not f****d.’ That’s what he said. ‘I couldn’t be f****d with it.’ He’s very happy. As bad as it sounds, it depends what the figure is for Tyson. It has to motivate him to come out of retirement. He seems very happy.”
Meanwhile, Joshua’s career is at a crossroads after he declined the opportunity to fight Daniel Dubois for a second time. ‘AJ’ was brutally knocked out by his fellow Brit in September, but was not fit enough to accept an immediate rematch. ‘Triple D’ was scheduled to face Joseph Parker last month, but withdrew two days before the match due to illness.
In the forthcoming Soccer Aid match, Fury is poised to manage football greats like Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, and Toni Duggan are all set to make their first appearances in Soccer Aid. Pop star Louis Tomlinson is also due to return, joined by Sam Quek, Paddy McGuinness, Tom Grennan, and Sir Mo Farah. Former Euros champion Leonardo Bonucci will debut as part of the World XI – with the rest of the team yet to be announced.