Tyson Fury Beats Mahkmudov. Is The Battle of Britain Ahead?

Tyson Fury had his way with Arslanbek Makhmudov in his ring return on Saturday. Photo: Chris Dean, Boxxer
Tyson Fury had his way with Arslanbek Makhmudov in his ring return on Saturday. Photo: Chris Dean, Boxxer
by Gayle Falkenthal, Boxing Editor

Key Takeaways:

  • Tyson Fury defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov, going the 12 round distance and winning by unanimous decision, just one round short of a shutout
  • Fury showed good form after 16 months out of the ring, content to box his powerful Russian opponent and wear him down.
  • Fury called out his longtime foe Anthony Joshua, with promoter Turki Alalshikh announcing Fury vs Joshua next. But the fight is not yet confirmed.

If fans were disappointed at the relative lack of fireworks in the heavyweight return of Tyson Fury against Arslanbek Makhmudov, they missed the point. Saturday’s fight was merely the appetizer designed to get the British boxing fans’ taste buds watering for a long-anticipated matchup between the former champion Fury and the former champion Anthony Joshua.

Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) did his part, avoiding disaster and any cuts or injuries that would affect his return down the road, putting in 12 solid and definitive rounds against Makhmudov (21-3, 19 KOs) for a lopsided decision victory. Scorecards were 120-108, 120-108, and a single mercy round for Makhmudov at 119-109 to avoid a complete shutout.

“I got a good 12 valuable rounds in tonight. That’s 10 times better than a one-round knockover against the bum,” said Fury, especially after 16 months out of the ring. “I just took out the number five-ranked contender with ease.”

Tyson Fury Puts Valuable Rounds On His Resume

Arslanbek Makhmudov was too slow to present much of a threat to Tyson Fury. Photo: Netflix
Arslanbek Makhmudov was too slow to present much of a threat to Tyson Fury. Photo: Netflix

Despite the urging of trainer Sugarhill Steward in the corner of Fury to finish off his big Russian opponent, it wasn’t necessary. As Fury pointed out to him, he was doing well by boxing. In the long run, putting 12 rounds in the bank after 16 months out of the ring was precisely the right approach for Fury.

It didn’t make for a thrilling matchup, but this wasn’t the point. The two men slugged away, with Makhmudov coming out hot in the first round as he is known to do. But Fury got things under his control quickly, keeping the Russian off him with his jab, moving in with body shots and uppercuts, and as Makhmudov tired, Fury cruised across the finish line,

Almost immediately after the conclusion of the right and even before the scores were read, Fury and Joshua got into a discussion ringside, with Fury inviting Joshua into the ring. Joshua wisely waited for the cards out of respect to Mahkmudov.

Then, it was time to promote a fight.

Joshua Tells Fury, “You’re A Clout Chaser!”

“Let’s give the five fans what they want, the Battle of Britain. And here’s my challenge. I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King. Next, do you accept my challenge?” asked Fury.

A cool, stony-faced Joshua finally said, “Tyson, you’re a clout chaser.

“I’ve never had no problem getting in the ring with you. I punched you out when we were kids, and after watching you here tonight, I’ll punch you up again. With all due respect, tonight is your night, and you know, I’ll sit across that ring from you in due time. You ain’t gonna tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years.”

Back To Reality: Fury vs Joshua Not Yet Signed

But the excitement of the moment was almost immediately tempered by Joshua, who brought down the temperature with the practical realities of putting the fight together.

“In my heart, I’ll fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, especially after watching that. There’s no problem with me fighting. This is what I do.

“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him.’ I’m not here to get clout. I’m here to fight. Contracts will be sent over. We’ll go through the nitty-gritty, and you’ll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely. But I’m not here to start getting in the ring and shouting in someone’s face,” said Joshua.

Joshua added that any delay is squarely on Fury’s recent retirement.

“Look, he’s the one that retired. I’ve been in the game. I’ve never retired. I’ve been standing strong for the last 13 years. It’s on him, isn’t it? He disappears, comes back, disappears, comes back. I’m standing strong. I’m not here to chase fame or chase hype. I’m a real person. I’ll fight whoever’s in front of me, whether it’s him or the next person.”

Joshua gently reminded viewers he was in a serious auto accident a few months ago, killing two of his team members. As a result, he is being cautious about his return.

“There’s real stuff happening in my life, you know what I’m saying?” said Joshua, adding that when he’s ready, he will be 100% ready, but he’d been down this road a million times.

“Once my name and signatures on the dotted line, then it’s a fight. At the minute, there’s nothing on a dotted line, neither is his,” Joshua pointed out. “There’s no fight right now, until our names are signed, until that first bell goes, there’s no fight.”

Be ready for breathless reports and reading of tea leaves, claims to know what’s going on behind the scenes, and endless gossip of the sort boxing seemingly loves until an official announcement takes place. It’s not the worst thing for boxing to keep it going until it’s all signed and sealed. But it will be speculation until then.

There were a few gasps at the announcement of referee Mark Bates working the fight. He was flayed from all sides after his terrible performance in the heavyweight fight between Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder for miscalling knockdowns and failing to penalize Chisora’s team for entering the ring during the fight. Fortunately, Fury and Mahkmudov didn’t require much intervention and he wasn’t a factor.

Conor Benn Defeats Regis Prograis

Conor Benn won a solid victory over Regis Prograis, but he did take some damage along the way. Photo: Netflix
Conor Benn won a solid victory over Regis Prograis, but he did take some damage along the way. Photo: Netflix

Was it a $20 million fight? The conversation will continue follow Conor Benn’s unanimous decision win over Regis Prograis in ten rounds on the Fury vs Makhmudov undercard. All three judges scored it the same, 98-92 for Benn in his his first fight since dropped down from middleweight after his win in the rematch with Chris Eubank Jr.

Benn of Essex (25-1, 14 KOs) was the bigger, younger, stronger man, not unexpected against the veteran Prograis of Houston (30-4, 24 KOs), who gave a good effort in the loss.

Benn came right at Prograis from the opening bell, showing no sense of caution and little fear of Prograis. Prograis approached his game plan with the best choice for himself, controlling the distance as he could.

Trying to assess whether the talk about Prograis suffering an injury in training before the fight, Prograis’s legs looked stiff and unstable. But he threw accurate punches and he was able to get Benn’s attention with good body punching behind the southpaw jab. He chose his shots carefully to avoid anything fatal coming back at him.

By round four, Benn was bleeding from a cut over his right eye, ruled from a punch but replay showed it was a headbutt. A second cut opened over the other eye from another headbutt. They gave something for Benn to deal with, but they did not seriously affect the fight’s outcome.

Prograis kept himself in the fight, landing several solid uppercuts on Benn, and taking Benn’s punches with fortitude. Benn started talking to Prograis in the ring, and he was warned twice to knock it off.

Benn began to pull away from Prograis, focusing on digging to the body and keeping up the pace. Prograis is tough but he didn’t have enough offense to keep him competitive in the later rounds. Still, Prograis can walk away with his head high, and $5 milliion in his bank account for his trouble.

Prograis Retires, Benn Goes After Garcia

Prograis provided the test Benn needed, forcing him to fight all ten rounds with all his skills. Later, Ring Magazine reported that Prograis formally announced his retirement from boxing. Credit to Prograis for making a smart decision on behalf of himself and his family. Here’s hoping he stays involved in boxing as a media figure or manager. He is well-read and intellectually curious, a personal favorite to interview.

But the fight unfolded in the context of Benn’s $15 million one-fight contract with Zuffa Boxing. His former promoter, Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, watched the fight sitting with Anthony Joshua. Hearn may get the last laugh as the Fury victory sets up a British heavyweight megafight between the two.

Where will Benn go now? He says he wants to face Ryan Garcia, but there is zero chance that will happen if Benn remains under the Zuffa banner and Garcia is still under contract to Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions. But business issues
aside, Garcia is willing, and it didn’t take long for Garcia to respond. Benn had a message for him.

But if the money is right and if Garcia signs on with another winning promoter, both bad boys of boxing will get wildly overpaid for it.