Tyson Fury has awoken this morning to the news that he has lost his last remaining heavyweight title.

Ring Magazine, known as the Bible of Boxing, which for 26 months had listed Fury as its prestigious heavyweight belt holder, has finally lost patience with the Mancunian's inactivity, and not only stripped him of its belt, but also removed him completely from their rankings.

It has been a rollercoaster few weeks for the Gypsy King.

In December, he had his controversial doping ban backdated two years by UKAD, thereby expiring on Dec 12, 2017, and in January, he had his boxing licence renewed by the British Boxing Board of Control.

A rejuvenated Fury has been back in the gym under new trainer Ben Davison and shedding weight in anticipation of his long awaited comeback, but failure to announce a fight before the January 31 deadline has forced Ring Magazine to act.

Explaining their decision, The Ring's editor Doug Fischer, stated: "There have been a variety of obstacles which prevented the unbeaten Englishman from defending the championship over the past 26 months. Among them was the ill-fated Klitschko rematch, Fury’s mental health issues, a UKAD investigation, and the revocation of his British boxing license.

"With all these issues now cleared, THE RING set a deadline (January 31) for Fury to reveal an opponent.

"However, no such announcement has been made by the fighter’s promoter, hence the decision to remove Fury as champion. Fury will also be removed from THE RING heavyweight rankings for the time being.

"We at THE RING would like to make it clear that this decision had not been taken lightly. THE RING championship belt is the closest representation to a lineal champion in the sport today, and Tyson Fury was extremely proud to be part of our heavyweight history."

The news will come as a huge blow to the unbeaten 29-year-old, who has endured turbulent times since his dramatic victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, where he won the WBO, WBA, and IBF belts.

Personal issues with drugs and depression have meant he has not fought since that historic night and as his weight ballooned and amidst frequent announcements of a premature retirement, many feared we would never see Fury lace up on fight night again.

These fears have been allayed as a newly focused Fury has declared his intention to win back his belts inside the ropes.

Boxing fans will hope that he can announce an opponent soon and get his remarkable career back on track.