Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury marked his latest return to the ring with a unanimous points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday before immediately challenging Anthony Joshua to a ‘Battle of Britain’ super fight.
Two-time former world champion Fury, back after a 16-month absence, won 120-108 on two of the judges’ scorecards, with the other ruling he had defeated his Russian opponent 119-109 after the maximum 12 rounds.
Makhmudov made a strong start to the first round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, throwing a left and connecting with an overhand right.
But by the third round Makhmudov was already showing signs of fatigue, with Fury switching stances and hitting a one-two off the Russian’s chin.
The fight, watched by Joshua at ringside, continued in similar fashion until the final bell.
Fury, who had walked out to the tune Blue Moon in honour of the late Ricky Hatton, who died in September, leaned over the ropes and invited Joshua into the ring after the bout.
Joshua refused but the two former world heavyweight champions exchanged words and Fury, 37, was pulled back by the referee before the result was announced.
After his victory had been confirmed, Fury, out of retirement for a fifth time, said: “I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept?”
Fury, in his first fight since successive defeats to unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk, and now with a professional record of 35 wins, two losses and one draw, added: “Let’s give the fight fans what they want.
“Do not run from me this time. Ten years in the making. Let’s dance.”
Joshua, 36, did not reply immediately but eventually said: “I punched you up when we were kids and I’ll punch you up again.
“You aren’t going to tell me what to do, I’ve been chasing you for 10 years.
“I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.”
Fury, eventually reflecting on Saturday’s fight itself, said: “I got 12 rounds against a tough opponent, a knockout specialist. That is better than a one rounder against a bum.
“I just took out the number five contender in the world with ease.”
The January announcement of Fury’s latest return to boxing came a week after Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria which killed two of his close friends.
Earlier this week, Fury said the incident was a “defining moment” in his comeback as it made him think “life is very short”.
Fury and Joshua have almost fought on several occasions, only for contract disputes, fitness issues and losses elsewhere to derail previous attempts to get them into the same ring nearer the peak of their careers.
Their camps had reportedly been close to an agreement before Joshua decided to take time out from boxing after the car crash.
But this week Fury said his focus was on Makhmudov, explaining: “Like I said when Daniel Dubois was fighting Anthony Joshua (in 2024), everybody said and all the boxing brains said, ‘AJ will knock him out inside three rounds,’ and they were overlooking him. ‘Are you going to fight Tyson next?’
“And I said you better put some respect on Dubois’ name because he’s going to chin him and that’s what happened.”