Tyson Fury watched the recent Deontay Wilder vs Derek Chisora fight with interest but, rather than feel buoyed at the result, he now has grave concerns as he heads into his own comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
And it’s all because he was unimpressed with Wilder’s win, and said, instead, that both had slid far from the peak of their powers.
Fury, who hasn’t fought since December, 2024, and hasn’t won a fight since October, 2023 — a split decision win over Francis Ngannou, whom dropped the Brit in a shocking fight in Saudi Arabia — fears he could be next.
“By the time the fight comes around on Saturday, I’ll have been out of the ring for 16 months and, at 37 years old, 16 months is a long time,” Fury told Inside The Ring this week. “So, I have a little bit of stuff to do and think about and see how I am.”
Fury’s win over Ngannou was hardly a performance in which he dazzled but, previously, he scored four successive finishes over Wilder (twice), Dillian Whyte, and Chisora — the last of which was more than three years ago.
Fury is concerned, therefore, that he may have slid as much as Wilder and Chisora did.
“After watching Deontay and Chisora the other night, it was a hard watch for me,” he said.
“It was sad, and heartbreaking, and I never seen two men slide as much as them two in my life, and I’m thinking, ‘Am I f****** next? Is this me’?”
“So I said to the boys, if I’m even 10% as bad as those guys in my fight, take me out to the field and shoot me.”
With Netflix airing Fury’s comeback, no expense has been spared on the undercard, with Zuffa Boxing’s $15 million signing Conor Benn taking on Regis Prograis, who Eddie Hearn recently said was injured, and heavyweight battles between Jeamie Tshikeva and Richard Riakporhe for the British title, and Justis Huni against Frazer Clarke in a 10-rounder.
