Tyson Fury having last-minute concerns days before Arslanbek Makhmudov fight
After retiring for a year following his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury is returning to boxing against Arslanbek Makhmudov this weekend
Tyson Fury is set to return to the ring(Image: (Richard Pelham/Getty Images for Netflix))
Tyson Fury appears to be having last-minute reservations about his return to the ring this weekend. Former two-time world heavyweight champion Fury retired after his second successive loss to Usyk at the end of 2024 and went a calendar year without a fight before announcing his latest comeback on January 4.
However, he will step back into the ring on Saturday night to face Arslanbek Makhmudov in a bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which will be broadcast live on Netflix. But the Gypsy King appears to be grappling with some pre-fight nerves just days before his return to the ring after watching Deontay Wilder’s clash with Derek Chisora.
The two veterans traded leather in a bonkers and scrappy fight at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, with Wilder going on to score a split decision win.
Watch Fury vs Makhmudov with free Netflix subscription
Tyson Fury has come out of retirement to face Russian boxer Arslanbek Makhmudov in a heavyweight clash in London on April 11. The fight will stream live on Netflix, which fans can get for free with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle or £24 Ultimate TV bundle, the latter of which also includes HBO Max and Disney+.
“After watching Deontay and Chisora the other night, it was hard to watch for me,” he said in quotes reported by The Sun. “It was sad.
“Heartbreaking. “I’d never seen two men slide as much in my life as them two. I’m thinking, ‘Am I f***ing next? Is this me?'”
Meanwhile in a separate interview with Ring Magazine, Fury revealed he has told his team that he wants them to speak up if he shows any signs of being past it against Makhmudov.
“I said to the boys, ‘If I’m even 10 per cent as bad as those guys in my fight, take me out to the field and shoot me. Put me out to pasture,’” he said.
“By the time the fight comes around on Saturday, I’ll have been out the ring 16 months. “At 37 years old, 16 months is a long time.
“I have a little bit of stuff to think about in my own mind and see how I am.”