Fury coasts to decision over Makhmudov, calls out Anthony Joshua

TOTTENHAM – It has been nearly four years since Tyson Fury had fought in front of fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and on this night he didn’t have much trouble doing what he wanted to do against his opponent to get the win.

Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-3, 17 KOs) with scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109 as Fury looked to shake off the ring rust against Makhmudov.

“I was very, very happy with the performance,” Fury said. “I felt I was back to vintage Tyson Fury – throwing the jab, switching to southpaw, and landing the right uppercut. I was happy that I got a good 12 rounds in, because that’s invaluable for me after the long layoff and the age as well.”

The 37 year old former two time champion was getting hit with some power shots from Makhmudov in the opening round, but after getting his jab going in the second round the speed and timing of Fury’s punches were too much for the Russian to handle. Fury started to throw two punch combinations while Makhmudov seemed to be off balance multiple times during the fight, and midway through the bout Fury was connecting with the uppercut that seriously hurt Makhmudov.

Fury seemed to have hurt Makhmudov with under a minute left in the eighth round but was caught in a few clinches before the end of the round. Fury went back to the jab and working hooks on the inside against Makhmudov to wear him down. A number of right hooks were landed by Fury as Makhmudov attempted to clinch. The last two rounds were almost moments of survival for Makhmudov as Fury was landing more uppercuts. While Fury did not get a knockout win, he was glad that he went through 12 rounds of action.

“I’ve been away for 16 months, and I got in there with a tough opponent in Arslanbek,” Fury said. “I got some valuable rounds in there tonight. I took out the number 5 ranked contender with ease.”

At the time the fight took place, Makhmudov was ranked number 5 in the WBA. A win by Fury does get him back in the rankings to chase the world title but there is only one fight that the fans at Tottenham and all over the United Kingdom are requesting – a domestic clash between Fury and Anthony Joshua. Fury made his statement to his rival to see if that fight could take place.

“I want to give the fans the fight you’ve all been waiting for,” Fury said after his win. “I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want, the Battle of Britain. I challenge you Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King, next!”

Joshua responded, but made it clear that he would not step in the ring for a face off with Fury.

“Tyson, I’ve never had no problem getting in a ring with you,” Joshua said. “I’ve punched you out when we were kids and after watching you here tonight, I’ll punch you up again. I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years.”

“You ain’t going to tell me what to do. I’m the landlord. When you are ready, you come and see me and tell me your terms and conditions and I’ll have you in the ring when I’m ready.”

It is unknown if the fight will take place later this year but if it happens it will be the most anticipated heavyweight fight in years and likely the biggest fight in the history of the United Kingdom. Fight fans are hoping that they finally get these two rivals in the ring to settle who is the better of the two heavyweights that have around the top of the division for over a decade.

Cover photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images for Netflix