Tyson Fury's Vulnerable Return Teaches Anthony Joshua a Boxing Lesson
In his first fight in 16 months, Tyson Fury outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov but failed to impress, with Anthony Joshua watching intently from ringside. The bout, held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 11 April 2026, was far from the triumphant return fans had hoped for from the "Gypsy King." Instead, it served as a stark reminder of Fury's vulnerabilities, offering Joshua a valuable lesson in the process.
An Underwhelming Performance
This marked Fury's emergence from his fifth retirement, following his second defeat by Oleksandr Usyk. Fighting on home soil for the first time in three-and-a-half years, the 37-year-old aimed to set up a long-overdue duel with compatriot Anthony Joshua. However, his performance against Makhmudov was underwhelming, perhaps even concerning.
Makhmudov, who recently gained attention by wrestling a bear in Dagestan, seemed to realise early that wrestling Fury was a better option than boxing him. From the first round, he came forward with laboured movements, hurling overhands that Fury could anticipate. Yet, one early right hand connected over the top, eliciting an echoing "ooh!" from the stands and troubling Fury.
In the cold shell of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before a smattering of empty seats, Fury started passively, backing up too frequently in the early rounds. He threw sporadic jabs to the body, possibly as an investment for later rounds, but did little else initially. By the second round, he began to let his hands go, sidestepping Makhmudov and attacking with the 36-year-old trapped against the ropes.
Struggles and Flaws Exposed
A trend emerged in the third round, with Fury able to slingshot himself off the ropes at just the right moment, forcing Makhmudov to overshoot with his right hand. However, after continually allowing the Russian to steer him towards the ropes, Fury was caught flush by a left hook in round four, stirring nervousness among spectators.
Makhmudov's efforts to build on the attack were messy, and although he landed another left soon after, Fury again turned him against the ropes and slid a cross onto his chin. The rest of the round was back and forth, with both men taking a punch to land one. A grappling-heavy round five sucked the atmosphere out of the stadium, a common feeling in Tottenham this season due to their Premier League travails.
In round six, the most interesting action was in the crowd, as a fight was broken up by security. Fury did his best to put a dent in Makhmudov with hooks to the body, but constant chatter in the stands proved the audience was disinterested. Two clean overhands from Makhmudov briefly brought fans to attention, but it was becoming clear that Fury was not going to find a finish.
Off the Pace and Lacking Invention
For as slow and one-dimensional as Makhmudov looked, Fury was off the pace as well. He showed two-dimensional skills with occasional southpaw switches and effective uppercuts later on, but lacked the inventiveness to assert himself in the captivating manner of old. At one point in the ninth round, Makhmudov was a sitting duck against the ropes, and rather than fire off shots, Fury simply leaned on him.
While Fury's uppercut started to serve him well in the later rounds, when he finally looked capable of a finish in the 11th, it appeared as much a result of Makhmudov's tiredness as Fury's power—or what's left of it. These faults could be down to ring rust, age, or degradation, but they highlight a fighter no longer at his peak.
Implications for a Fury vs Joshua Showdown
The quirk is that this might be okay if Fury is paired with Joshua next. What Fury vs Joshua has always needed as a match-up is a sense of equality, or something close to it. Fury's current form could balance out with Joshua's struggles in and out of the ring. Joshua, 36, has had to reckon with the passings of teammates Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in recent months, while his last three results include a stoppage of a YouTuber-turned-boxer, a devastating defeat, and a KO of a mixed martial artist.
Meanwhile, Fury laboured to victory here, after twice being outdone by Usyk. Looking further back, Fury was lucky to outpoint the same mixed martial artist that Joshua destroyed, after beating Derek Chisora in an uneven fight the year before. To find Fury's last clear win, one must venture back to 2022, and even then it was not an especially impressive result.
Uncertain Future and Call-Out
After the fight, Fury's boxing tools worked better than the microphone handed to Joshua when Fury formally called him out. Even when Joshua was given a working mic and hinted he will face Fury next, there was room for doubt. It was telling that when boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh beckoned Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, into the ring, Hearn would not budge. Fury vs Joshua is not a done deal, but it must be made immediately before both boxers are done.
This fight served as a lesson for Joshua: Fury is vulnerable, and the time to strike is now. The potential bout still gets the juices flowing, but based on this performance, it may not be the spectacle once imagined.
