Tyson Fury will lose his RING Magazine heavyweight title unless he schedules a long-awaited comeback bout on Wednesday.

The former unified world champion has been out of the ring since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November 2015.

Fury has since surrendered the WBO, WBA and IBF belts he won that night amid self-confessed problems with drugs and depression.

Tyson Fury will lose his RING Magazine world title unless he schedules a fight on Wednesday

The self-styled Gypsy King has not fought since beating Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015

RING heavyweight world rankings Champion: Tyson Fury (25-0-0) 1) Anthony Joshua (20-0-0) 2) Deontay Wilder (39-0-0) 3) Joseph Parker (24-0-0) 4) Alexander Povetkin (33-1-0) 5) Luis Ortiz (28-0-0) 6) Kubrat Pulev (25-1-0) 7) Dillian Whyte (22-1-0) 8) Dominic Breazeale (19-1-0) 9) Jarrell Miller (20-0-1) 10) Adam Kownacki (17-0-0) Advertisement

But as 'the man who beat the man', Fury retained the RING Magazine title. Normally he would lose that belt only if he was beaten in the ring.

But he has been out of action for so long that the Bible of Boxing will crown another king unless Fury returns to the ring soon.

The self-styled Gypsy King has been back in the gym in recent months ahead of a potential comeback in April.

But RING announced recently that Fury has until the end of January to schedule a fight or he will lose the belt.

According to TalkSPORT, the 29-year-old does not have to face an opponent inside the world's top five — as most are unavailable — but they must be well-ranked.

There were reports that the winner of Anthony Joshua's unification clash with Joseph Parker on March 31 could assume the crown, should Fury miss the deadline.

Fury lost his other world title belts amid self-confessed problems with drugs and depression

The RING title will not be on the line when Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker collide in London

But the magazine's panel have reportedly decided that their title won't be on the line in Cardiff because WBC champion Deontay Wilder, ranked No 2 by RING, is such a strong contender.

Fury, who has won all of his 25 fights as a professional, ballooned up in weight during his two-year hiatus from the sport.

But he has been shedding the pounds under new trainer Ben Davison as he eyes a return to his throne and an all-British blockbuster against AJ.