Former two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has confirmed that he can fight long-term domestic rival Anthony Joshua if he takes care of business against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will have to handle the towering Russian at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of any potential match up. Makhmudov comes off a unanimous-decision victory against David Allen in Sheffield last October. It will be Fury’s first fight in 16 months, after he went into temporary retirement following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
It was reported by Gareth A. Davies last week that Fury and Joshua had agreed to fight later this year, but the journalist quickly walked back his comments on TalkSport, where he had said the fight was “signed.” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn quickly refuted that the fight was agreed. However, Fury has come out to give a big indication that an all-British clash could finally become a reality in 2026.
“If the fight is [there] to be made, let’s get it done,” Fury said in an interview with Sky Sports News. “Let me get Makhmudov out of the way, and then we are on like Donkey Kong.”
Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) was involved in a fatal car crash last December in Nigeria, where two of his team members lost their lives. The Olympic gold medalist had recently come off a sixth-round knockout victory against social media star Jake Paul, where Joshua had begun a new working relationship with Igor Golub and many of Oleksandr Usyk’s training team. Joshua has recently rejoined the same team at its Valencia-based training camp, but no fight has been announced.
Fury and Joshua were scheduled to fight while they held the undisputed championship between them in early 2021. However, despite both parties announcing a two-fight deal to take place later that year, Fury was forced to pull out due to contractual obligations to finish a trilogy with Deontay Wilder.
“The biggest fight in the world of boxing is me vs. AJ,” Fury added. “Even today, even after all these years, it’s still the biggest fight in boxing. In my opinion, there is no other fight.”
Fury’s comeback against Makhmudov joins a busy heavyweight schedule. A week prior, Derek Chisora welcomes Deontay Wilder to London; Fabio Wardley will defend his WBO title against Daniel Dubois on May 9, and Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC belt against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Pyramids on May 23.
