Former WBO, IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) will return to the ring in 2018, according to his uncle and trainer Peter Fury.

Fury has been out of the ring since November of 2015, when he traveled over to Germany and shocked the sport by boxing his way to a twelve round unanimous decision over Wladimir Klitschko to capture the unified crown.

After that win, Fury was on top of the world - but everything fell apart in his career in 2016.

Two planned rematch dates with Klitschko were called off after Fury withdrew.

After the second withdrawal, Fury indicated that he was battling mental health issues, and also admitted to substance abuse issues.

Once he admitted to abusing recreational drugs, the British Board of Control took away his boxing license.

Fury is able to reclaim his license - but first he must settle an outstanding beef with UK Anti-Doping - who claim the boxer tested positive for a banned substance in early 2015.

At the moment Fury is motivated to return, he's training and wants to get in the ring by early 2018.

When will he return exactly?

"I think April of next year," Peter Fury told BBC Sport.

One of the biggest fights in boxing, especially in the UK, is if Fury returns to face countryman Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBO, IBF titles.

The Fury camp view Joshua as the biggest fight they can make, but there is some worry that it won't happen in time.

"The only fear is that Joshua doesn’t get beat beforehand. That’s the fight the public want to see, that’s the fight Tyson really wants," Peter Fury said. "And he really thinks that's the fight that should be made."

When Peter Fury spoke with his fighter, he says Tyson indicated to him that he was not impressed with any of the current heavyweights and believes he can beat any of them.

"I don't think so [that Tyson rates any of them highly], no," Peter Fury said.