Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has teased a return to the ring and a potential showdown with Anthony Joshua by posting a short clip on his social media with a cryptic message, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 36-year-old ‘Gypsy King’ shared a 12-second video revealing he is back in the gym training with SugarHill Steward. Fury began the clip by saying, “Just in the gym. Bumped into someone you might know.”

He then panned around to show his American trainer Steward who smiled and said, “You know what time is it.”

Looking directly into the camera, Fury delivered his unmistakable message, “You know what’s coming.”

The Morecambe fighter announced his retirement from boxing in January this year following his second successive loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December. However, given Fury’s history of short-lived retirements, many boxing insiders remained sceptical about his intentions.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn previously questioned the legitimacy of Fury’s retirement, suggesting it was merely a ploy to increase the financial value of a potential mega-fight with Joshua.

Joshua, who has been recovering from surgery after his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, has also recently returned to training following a stint in Nigeria, where he completed his rehabilitation.

The British-Nigerian boxer shared a heartfelt message on Instagram last week, thanking Nigeria for their “energy, generosity and kindness” before departing to prepare for his next fight.

A September date has long been rumoured for the Fury-Joshua showdown, with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh reportedly keen to make the long-awaited contest happen. Such a fight could generate upwards of £170m in revenue through broadcasting rights, ticket sales, sponsorships and merchandise.

Joshua’s promoter Hearn revealed last month that the 35-year-old is entering what could be his final year in professional boxing.

“This is the final year. Let’s not beat around the bush,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “He’s going to have somewhere between – it could always be your last fight – but one and three fights, that’s the reality of the situation.”