Tyson Fury cruised to a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Anthony Joshua having a front-row seat for the dominant display
Tyson Fury won his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov(Image: Getty Images for Netflix)
Tyson Fury secured a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night, following a truly dominant display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He then directed his attention toward a ringside Anthony Joshua, making his intentions to fight his long-time rival crystal clear.
The two heavyweight titans met under the bright lights in the English capital, after Fury backtracked on the retirement he announced last January. While many fight fans were eager to see how the sharpshooting Gypsy King would handle the raw power of a bulldozer-like Makhmudov, Fury had no issue whatsoever in dismantling and breaking down his hard-headed opponent on the night.
Makhmudov’s approach for the fight was simple, storm toward Fury and catch him with a looping shot that would in theory put him down to the canvas. However, it was evident that when plan a didn’t quite work out as hoped, the Russian had no plan b.
What ensued was Fury catching Makhmudov in the clinch for extended periods, delivering crunching blows to the body and looking for that patented, heat seeking uppercut to finish the job.
That ultimately made Makhmudov standoffish in his approach as the fight progressed, with Fury beginning to tee off at leisure behind his lightning-quick jab.
As Makhmudov began to tire, it appeared that Fury started to well and truly find his rhythm, almost toying with his 36-year-old opponent on the night and leaving him chasing shadows.
And while he was ultimately unable to secure a stoppage, the unanimous decision victory allowed him to once again assert his dominance on the world stage – following a tough two years both in and away from the sport.
After 12 gruelling rounds, the judges ultimately scored the contest 120-108, 120-108, 119-109 in Fury’s favour, before the Morecambe-based legend took aim at a ringside Joshua. It’s no secret that the two have been on a collision course for the entirety of their respective careers, with no such fight coming to fruition just yet.
However, Fury made it clear that the next name on his mind to meet in the squared-circle is none other than AJ. Speaking on the microphone and addressing his long-time rival from a matter of feet away, Fury said: “I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for.
“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. Do you accept my challenge?”
Staring into Fury’s soul from his seat, Joshua then poured water on any hopes of the fight taking place in the immediate future, turning the tables on the pugilist he claimed has spent the last decade ducking him.
He replied: “Tyson, you are a clout-chaser. I’ve never had no problem getting in a ring with you, I punched you up as kids, watching you tonight I’ll punch you up again.
“You won’t tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you the last 10 years, when you’re ready you come and see me. I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.”
