April 11, (THEWILL) — Tyson Fury ended 16 months of ring inactivity with a unanimous points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, winning on scorecards of 120-108, 120-109, and 119-109.
The 12-round contest, broadcast live on Netflix, offered little to stir the crowd inside the ropes. Makhmudov, a big-framed Russian, plodded forward throughout but connected infrequently with his looping attacks.
The challenger was visibly exhausted by the sixth round, having already been taken the full distance by Britain’s Dave Allen in October. Fury, composed and unhurried, did not push for a stoppage.
The evening’s most charged moment arrived after the final bell. Fury attempted to summon Anthony Joshua into the ring to face off ahead of their proposed all-British heavyweight clash.
Joshua seated ringside beside Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, refused to comply.
Alalshikh, who has pledged to bankroll the Fury-Joshua fight, was unable to bring Joshua or his promoter Eddie Hearn to the ropes.
Fury called across the arena with a direct challenge; Joshua received a microphone but his response was inaudible to the crowd. The planned public announcement did not happen.
Fury collected his 35th career win on a night built to restore his standing at the summit of the heavyweight division, having suffered back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
The 37-year-old entered “Blue Moon” and wore shorts bearing the words “R.I.P. Ricky” in tribute to the late Ricky Hatton. With contracts for the Joshua fight still unsigned, the night raised as many questions as it resolved.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
