Tyson Fury shook off some ring rust on his comeback to earn a unanimous points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday and potentially set up a long-awaited clash with Anthony Joshua, ESPN reports.
The former world heavyweight champion ended his latest retirement and 16-month break by dominating Russian Makhmudov to earn scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Fury’s British rival Joshua watching on from ringside among a crowd of approximately 60,000.
Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs), 37, from the Isle of Man, patiently boxed behind his jab for an efficient rather than spectacular comeback, which showed he still has a sharp boxing brain and good footwork. Makhmudov (21-3, 19 KOs) was an obliging opponent as he marched forward recklessly at times, inviting Fury to pick him off.
It was a return to winning ways for Fury following back-to-back points losses in world title fights to Oleksandr Usyk in his previous two appearances.
After his first win in England since a WBC title defense against Derek Chisora in December 2022, Fury turned his attention to Joshua. Fury is urging his compatriot to fight him next, rather than former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, 40, who recently beat fellow veteran Chisora on points.
Talking to Joshua, who had been filming the fight on his cellphone, following the victory, Fury said: “Next I want to give you the fight you have all been waiting for. I want you, Anthony Joshua, let’s give the fight fans what they want, a Battle of Britain. I, the Gypsy King, challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept the challenge? Do not run from me this time, let’s dance.”
Joshua didn’t accept Fury’s invitation to join him in the ring and said there was no deal for them to fight.
“There’s a negotiation that you go through. I’ve sat at this table with him many times,” Joshua said on Netflix.
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“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him.’ I’m not here to get clout. I’m here to fight. Contracts will be sent over. We’ll go through the nitty-gritty and you’ll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely. But I’m not here to start getting in the ring and shouting in someone’s face.”
Despite Joshua’s refusal to confirm the fight, Netflix posted on social media that it would take place this autumn.
The 80,000-seat Croke Park stadium in Dublin has emerged as an option to stage the megafight in September should former world champion Joshua, 36, decide against an interim, warmup bout.
There have been various attempts to make Fury vs. Joshua happen in the last six years without success and most recently discussions were put on hold after Joshua was involved in a car accident which killed two of his friends in Nigeria in December.
While it will arguably not be as big as when they were both world champions and first agreed to fight in June 2020, it would still be the biggest fight of 2026.
